2011 Taiwan Lantern Festival – A Real Success

The 2011 Taiwan Lantern Festival, held in the northern Taiwan county of Miaoli, has already attracted over 3 million visitors since it kicked off in Miaoli County’s Zhunan/Toufen Sports Park on February 17, with the ceremonial lighting of the centerpiece “Auspicious Jade Rabbit” lantern.

The festival, which will be closing February 28, has received numerous accolades from the participants and the media:

“This sea of lanterns—it’s most impressive. It’s even more attractive than its pictures, and everybody who’s interest in folk arts must see it!” – commented Kweon Hee-seok, president of South Korea’s largest travel agency Hana Tour.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau invited 120 media representatives from 12 foreign countries, including the National Geographic Traveler, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun and the Bangkok Post from Thailand; along with 124 travel agents from foreign countries and mainland China, to observe and join the festivities.

Entertainment was provided by more than 300 performers from Japan and South Korea who shared their local festival dances with the audiences. The main focus of the entertainment was on the local Hakka culture, as 64.8 percent of the northern county’s residents are of Hakka origin.

“All the Japanese groups are paying their own way this year just so they can participate, which shows the significance of the festival,” said tourism official Chen Jung-chin.

The opening performances attracted universal attention, with 10 “Yosakoi” groups from around Japan including one, with an average age of 70, that had never performed outside of Japan before. These vigorous and well-practiced performances, and their music, created at atmosphere that touched the hearts of the audience. The closing ceremony, on Feb. 28, will be graced by a Japanese “Taiko” drum performance and traditional dancing by a Korean troupe.

Till closing on February 28, the Taiwan Lantern Festival is expected to draw 6 million tourists.