Taiwanese cultural festival to start in Canada next month

The event, titled “2010 TELUS TAIWANfest” is being organized by the Taipei Cultural Center in New York and the Asian-Canadian Special Events Association.

Council of Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Sheng praised the activity as “one of the most important festivals promoting Taiwanese culture in North America,” at a press conference in Taipei.

Jason Reeve, director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei's General Relations also expects this event can promote people's understanding of two countries.

The festival is in its 21st year in Vancouver, but only its fifth year in Toronto.

More than 140,000 people attend the festival every year, according to the association, but with more groups and singers from both countries this year, the number of people attending is expected to grow, according to the organizers.

The event is organized in seven parts and will include indie bands and singers from Taiwan and Canada performing crossover music, as well as fashion shows, food exhibitions and traditional folk performances such as puppet shows and Hakka drama.

In addition, a series of special activities to commemorate the late singer Teresa Teng will also be a focus of the event.

Lee Kun-Cheng, sometimes described as “a living music encyclopedia of Taiwan,” is invited to share many untold stories of Teng, who was hugely popular in East Asia and other areas with Chinese communities.

The focus of the festival is not only about culture, but also to promote an environmentally friendly initiative, with the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Canada presenting a fashion show in which the garments are made from recycled PET bottles, said Gary Ho, CEO of the Tzu Chi Foundation Canada.

“The festival will not only embrace the people but also promote the concept of protecting the earth,” Ho said.

The event will open Aug. 27 and run through Aug. 29 in Toronto, before moving to Vancouver Sept. 4-6.

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