Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) on Tuesday unveiled a special section of the 2024 Lantern Festival which showcases the enthusiasm of new immigrants living in Taiwan.
Tainan City will be hosting this year’s festival which coincides with the 400th anniversary of the city. The festival will have two major exhibition areas - the Anping Lantern Area which starts on Feb. 3 and the HSR Lantern Area which will start on Feb. 24.
With more than 30,000 new immigrants in Tainan City, Huang said the works of international artists as well as the cultural exhibits and performances of diverse ethnic groups at the festival highlight the enthusiasm and hard-working attitude of new immigrants, and show a shared love for Taiwan.
The lantern display at the Anping area will feature works by Japanese artists Masahide Kudo and Maiko Sugano, Indonesian artist Dodog Soeseno, and Heidi Yip from Hong Kong. According to the Tainan City government’s press release, their works make use of local materials, colors, and symbols to create art that connects and breaks down language and cultural barriers.