Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival set for Yilan

2014-10-22

Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival will kick off Oct. 23 in Yilan County, boosting Taiwan’s cultural profile and enhancing art exchanges among countries across the region.

“As an important Asia-Pacific cultural hub, Taiwan shares many key features of traditional arts with its neighbors,” Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ying-ping said Oct. 20. “We are pleased to stage the annual festival in its 13th year and spotlight the strength of the local art sector.”

Themed East Asia Crescent, Tea, Stomping Dance and Shining Forest, the four-day event at the National Center for Traditional Arts involves seven traditional art groups from home and abroad. These include Taiwan’s Kavalan PatRugan and teams from Jeju Island in South Korea, northwest Thailand and Guangxi in mainland China.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the festival includes a wide array of performances like polyphonic singing, pottery-making and traditional weaving. Other activities encompass an art market, exhibition of cultural icons such as pile dwellings, experiential tea culture sessions, as well as field visits by foreign artists to local aboriginal villages.

“The festival is an outstanding opportunity for all and sundry to get a taste of the richness of traditional cultures,” Lee said. “We will continue hosting similar events as a way of deepening art development and cultural ties throughout the region.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223119&CtNode=413)