Seniors embrace vitality at Yilan festival

2015/10/13

An annual festival encouraging seniors to embrace active lifestyles and heighten public awareness of elderly care is underway in northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County.

Staged Oct. 9-18 at Yilan Sports Park, the third edition of Yilan Forever Young Festival features baseball games, concerts, costume parade, diet exchange forum, free clinics and competitions in Chinese chess, singing as well as track and field.

County Magistrate Lin Tsung-hsien said the event is a special opportunity to honor local seniors and help them enjoy life to the fullest. “It is exciting to see so many of the elderly participating in outdoor activities and realizing childhood athletic dreams.”

One of the most popular tournaments is the singing competition. The three-day preliminary round reduced a 194-strong field to 74 Sept. 14, with contestants battling it out Oct. 14 for a coveted spot in the 34-member final Oct. 16 at Yilan Stadium. Hsu A-li, 93, and Huang Son-gen, 90, are two of the hot favorites and both looking to mark three years of consecutive participation with pitch-perfect glory.

Other activities striking a chord with participants were the opening-day costume parade and Oct. 11 diet exchange forum. The former attracted more than 2,500 people in 85 teams dressed in traditional and modern outfits, while the latter saw local food and beverage industry representatives sharing low-fat, low-salt and high-fiber recipes.

Hsiao Jui-min, director of Yilan County Government’s Department of Business and Tourism, said the success of the festival is indicative of the progress made in creating a senior-friendly environment.

“We hope our elderly feel cherished and valued as a result of the event and, at the same time, engage in more robust and rewarding exchanges with the younger generations.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=237593&ctNode=2194&mp=9)