Taichung goes Korean

Translated by Anna Yang

Recent years have seen a growing number of Koreans coming to Taiwan to study and work and, although Taiwanese and Koreans have at times considered their nations fierce competitors, most Koreans have found that they like Taiwan a lot.

The same, of course, can be said for Taiwanese as they have discovered all things Korean. In fact, Korean food, culture and, especially, popular Korean films and TV programs have become well-known to modern Taiwanese, in addition to other things like Korean clothing and fashions.

Thanks to increasing cultural exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea in all of the above areas and the creation of visa-free travel between the two countries, the number sightseeing visitors going in both directions is seeing a drastic upswing, which can only draw Taiwanese and Koreans even closer to each other.

Back in 2013, the Taichung Municipal City Huludun Cultural Center helped launch this process by bringing the Korean Natural Dyeing Museum Exhibition to the city. A number of Korean calligraphers have also been invited to promote the cultural exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea and, this year, Taichung City Government will even organize a Taichung Korean Culture Festival that will include famous guest artists providing free public Korean dancing performances for local residents to enjoy, on May 5, 2016 (Thursday) at 7:30 pm at Taichung Municipal City Huludun Cultural Center.

All this supports Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung's hopes of building this city into an important base for exchanges between the two nations by organizing cultural and tourism related activities. Another appealing part of this initiative is the goal of creating direct flights between Taichung and South Korea.

When searching for Korean products in Taichung, the easiest approach is to check out one of the many popular websites sharing information about popular stores for famous Korean foods and clothes. With or without these, it's easy to find Korean shops in the city's liveliest areas, including night markets, particularly Fengjia and YiZhong Street, which are also popular destinations for Korean visitors. Here, you'll find variety of Korean stores selling food, clothing--including jackets, dresses, Korean T-shirts or other designer products--jewelry and other items imported from that country, mostly for reasonably prices. .

When it comes to the current local craze for Korean cuisine, from kimchi to Korean BBQ, once again local websites are a great option, sharing information about the exploding number of good Korean dining spots out there. As the sampling provided in this month's "Restaurant Roundup" shows, there are plenty of interesting spots well worth trying.
On a more personal level, when I talk to Korean friends in Taichung about their lives here, they love Taiwan a lot. When they first arrived on this island, they were a bit apprehensive that people would not like them. However, they found that the locals were friendly, easy to get along with and not too complicated to understand. Of course, they also think that food in Taichung is very delicious with so many choices, making life even more enjoyable here.

And what do they do in Taichung? Not surprisingly, their favorite destinations are department stores and the two above-mentioned night markets, where they can find Korean products and food. The popularity of these items in Taiwan warms their hearts. Finally, to assuage their love for football (soccer), they gather with friends to play on weekends and holidays at local football fields.