By Janice Seh-Jen Lai
Director-general of Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications
Republic of China (Taiwan)

Culture is the sum of human creation over a long history. It encompasses religions, values, the arts, and the sciences. Travel allows people to experience the distinct cultures, institutions, customs, traditions, national traits, and social settings of other places. Tourism facilitates the development of cultural industries, promotes local cultural features, and enhances local economic development. On the one hand, tourism serves as a means to preserve culture and provides incentives for cultural innovation. On the other hand, culture enriches the content of tourism, which can be developed into tourist products to increase the added values of the industry.

Traditional Chinese culture is well preserved in Taiwan and has been further refined in the process of incorporating local Taiwanese culture and modern international influences. The result opens up a whole new horizon for Chinese culture. Taiwan’s National Palace Museum boasts the largest collection of Chinese cultural assets. Its sizable collection makes it one of the world’s four greatest museums. Taiwan is also home to the world’s tallest building in use, Taipei 101. Moreover, the island offers a complete menu of traditional Chinese cuisines and Taiwanese dishes. For instance, Taiwan’s famous steamed soup dumplings, beef noodles, and pearl milk tea are widely popular even outside Taiwan.

The Taiwanese people celebrate various festivals all year round, including the Lantern Festival in February and the Matsu Pilgrimage in March of the Lunar year, to name just two. Historical monuments and temples are common features of the Taiwanese cityscape. The diversity of religious beliefs available in Taiwanese society further enriches the forms and rituals of various festivities. In addition, elements of traditional Chinese architecture are commonly seen in the modern settings of Taiwan’s cities, such as in the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Dihua Street, Sanxia and Daxi Old Streets, and the British Consulate at Takao. On top of that, the creative energy of Taiwanese artists is equally as stunning. It shines from the realms of sculpture, painting, photography, dance, movie, and music to such areas as fashion, décor, book stores, and the making of unique Taiwanese brand names.

Taiwan is a country that values its cultural assets and the promotion of cultural tourism. It has developed a variety of tourist packages with an emphasis on local cultural uniqueness. Co-produced by the Discovery Channel, the “Made in Taiwan” program presents a comprehensive introduction to Taiwan’s world-renowned cultural performances, exquisite culinary arts, and diverse celebrations and festivities. Since its debut, the program has claimed the top rating in Asia, signaling how the charm of authentic Taiwanese culture is welcomed by other parts of the world.

Take the Taiwan Lantern Festival as an example. Since 1990, the event has included the Pingsi Heavenly Lantern Festival, the Yanshuei Beehive Rockets in Tainan, and the Bombing of the Deity Han Dan in Taitung as a festival package. In addition to continuing the Chinese tradition of lantern celebrations, the festival incorporates elements of modern technology, culture, and other innovations to create a festivity that is uniquely Taiwanese. For the past 20 years, the festival has annually attracted more than ten thousand visitors and internationally reputed performance troupes from around the world to participate in its activities. In 2008, the festival gained recognition from the Discovery Channel, which placed it among the “Fantastic Festivals of the World.”

Moreover, the Matsu Tour held in March, the Dragon Boat Races in May (both of the lunar calendar), the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival, the Taiwan Culinary Exhibition and Taiwan Culinary Summit, and the Taiwan Hot Springs Fine-Cuisine Carnival have all generated reports by internationally celebrated media. These activities have added to the attractiveness of Taiwanese festivities and developed a market outside Taiwan through enhanced packaging and accessibility.

In addition to traditional festival activities, Taiwanese performing arts are also well known both at home and abroad. For example, Taiwan’s famous dance troupe, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, fuses traditional culture with modern dance; U-Theatre mixes drumming, martial arts, and Taoism; Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera unites traditional opera with innovative stage performance; and Pili Puppet Show combines traditional puppetry with state-of-the-art animation. Additionally, in recent years, television and film culture has been embraced throughout Asia. Taiwan’s popular music and TV programs enjoy high standing among fans of trendy Asian music and drama, and play an influential role in Asian pop culture.

Through cultural exhibitions, travel fairs, and other promotional activities, Taiwan actively introduces its festivals, art, and culture to the international arena. The government of Taiwan has also published “movie star tracker” travel guides and designed package tours for travel agencies to allow tourists to visit the shooting locations of popular TV shows and films, such as “Wish to See You Again,” “On Air,” “Island Etude,” and “Secret.” This marks a joint effort by travel agencies and the government to promote tourism in Taiwan.

Culture has enriched the meaning of tourism, and tourism encourages the enhancement of culture. In the future, Taiwan plans to broadly develop cultural tourism, increasing and integrating tourism resources, in order to make Taiwan “the best travel island in Asia.” Taiwan is a fascinating travel destination with a rich and diverse culture. It invites you to come visit and explore!