Mayor Hu giving his speech at a
30th annual event for
Taiwanese currently living in
California.

Taichung Symphony Orchestra
was invited to perform at this
social event for the Taiwanese
community. They played
Taiwanese folk songs which
added to the evening's
nostalgia and entertainment,
everyone seem to enjoy it.

Mayor Hu was invited to be
present at the dining party
after he attended the annual
Taiwanese community event.

Industry Development and
Investment Promotion
Committee of Taichung City and
the national Government
Information Office gave away
commercial products,
documents, merchandise and
souvenirs to the Taiwanese
community living in the U.S. at
an annual event for Taiwanese
currently living in California.

Mayor Hu & His Team Visit Taichung's 18th U.S. Sister City

Words and pictures by Taichung City Goverment
Translated by Ann Lee

"Is traveling with the mayor fun?" Almost every member of the mayor's entourage has been asked this by reporters and new friends while travelling about the United States this September. When Huang Yue-lin, an accomplished Taichung Symphony Orchestra Quartet cellist and entourage assistant team leader, was asked the question, she replied, "It was a lot of fun. We learned a lot by traveling with the mayor and we got to experience what it is like to see and interact with people with international backgrounds--it was a high-profile social event, so to speak."

On the road
Mayor Jason Hu's tour of Taichung's American sister cities was designed to introduce the cities to one another, as well as forge and foster international relationships. The first stop of the mayor's trip to the U.S. was Los Angeles. On September 8, Hu attended a 30th annual event for Taiwanese currently living in California. About 300 business representatives, corporation owners and professionals attended this meeting.

At the opening ceremony, the forum chairwoman, Ms. Luo Su-er, gave an in-depth speech along with U.S. Congresswoman Hilda Solis. When it was Mayor Hu's turn to speak, he noted, "Even though world politics are constantly changing, the people in Taiwan still remain genuine. They still care for social well-being and quality of life. This can be seen through the heart and devotion of the Taiwanese community in the United States."

Unity is key for Taiwan, the U.S. and China
Mayor Hu's relaxed, humorous speech brought a hearty round of applause from all of the Taiwanese community members in attendance. While updating the room about Taiwan's current events, Hu stressed the importance of unity and peace in Taiwan in order to grow as a prosperous country and create a "three-win" situation for Taiwan, China and the United States. Afterwards, he showed his appreciation to the Taiwanese community for their support and thoughts through Mrs. Hu's recovery from her auto accident. As for Taiwanese living in the U.S., statistics show that they are satisfied with the Taichung City Government and its structure and integrity. Responding to this, the mayor said that he had to thank the efforts and hard work of his team and Taichung residents.

The Taichung City Economic Affairs Bureau set up a booth at the event as well, and gave away commercial products, documents, merchandise and specialty snacks like sun and pineapple cakes, as well as concert DVDs of the Taichung Symphony Orchestra. It was the most popular booth that day. A few of the Taiwanese-Americans interviewed said that they had a deep connection to Taichung and would be visiting the city when they went back to Taiwan, possibly starting new businesses there.

After the speeches concluded, an event called "Taiwan Night" got underway. Participants saw traditional folk dancing and singing performances, as well as performances by the Taichung Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra even played Taiwanese folk songs, adding to the evening's nostalgia and entertainment. Everyone was eager to take photos with the mayor and the event didn't end until 11 p.m.

Visiting Atlanta
The next day, Taichung city's representative team flew to Atlanta at 6 a.m. By the time they got there, it was already evening. Mayor Hu's former colleague and Atlanta's representative to Taiwan, Mr. Wu Rong-quan, personally met the party at the airport. Department officials in Atlanta invited the Taiwan delegation, along with some local politicians and Taiwanese citizens living in the U.S., to the representative's home.

The group had less than 24 hours in Atlanta so, of course, their schedule was packed. The mayor and heads of the Information and Cultural Affairs bureaus went to a local radio station for an official interview early in the morning, while the rest of the team had the chance to visit Atlanta's famous Underground City. The Underground City was built 150 years ago and is now a popular tourist destination. Originally a train station stopover where cargo and goods were transported to and from the north and south, it was restored about 80 years ago after its destruction during the Civil War. Vendors offer lunches and dinners to nearby offices while pubs cater to those who enjoy some nighttime fun. On weekends, people can take hot air balloon rides and get a panoramic view of the city. As a common locale for large parties and festivals, Mayor Hu saw Underground City as an inspiration for Taichung's own train station.

Mayor Hu and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
During his short time in the city, Mayor Hu met his Atlanta counterpart, Mayor Shirley Franklin. Interestingly enough, the pair found a variety of similarities in their political careers: Both were elected in 2001, got re-elected in 2005 and will step down in 2009, but will still be dedicated to their beloved cities. They are both optimistic about their future political careers as well. Mayor Franklin stressed that taking on the job of a city mayor required a lot of energy, adding that for the next two years she is comforted by the thought that she can positively impact her constituents' lives every day.

After Hu expressed that he was impressed with the reconstruction of the old city, Franklin explained how the government made this "rebirth" happen--with limited resources, they had a period-by-period reconstruction plan to promote property values by estimating property taxes and estimating development funds. These plans encouraged idealistic business owners to invest. This meant that they actively created a need and promoted development so that the city had a chance to grow again.

From 2004 to 2012, Atlanta's job opportunities will increase--with an estimated 60,000 new jobs in the city. In Taichung, about 75,000 career opportunities have been created with the opening of the new Science Park. So it seems that the two "sister" cities have more in common than size. After the mayors exchanged hopes for the futures of their respective cities, Hu invited Mayor Franklin to visit Taichung, so that both cities can interact and help each other out. Franklin promised Hu that she will visit Taichung in the next two years--before she steps down from the post of mayor.

On the same busy day in Atlanta, the rest of the group had the chance to go to Coca-Cola's corporate facility, where they were welcomed and guided by two senior executives. They also visited CNN corporate headquarters and the Olympic Park. All in all, the journeys to Atlanta and Los Angeles were very eventful. The most important task now is to turn these experiences into practical marketing ideas and projects, thus making Taichung a better city in every way possible.

Careful planning is the prelude to success
To ensure the visit went smoothly, Mayor Hu had an entire team of officials and experts to help him carefully plan his itinerary. From the initial planning group, which gathered thorough and in-depth information to fully prepare the mayor for every visit and meeting, to the traveling team and performers, everyone involved put forth a lot of effort to make Taichung shine.

Most of the trip was planned by the offices of: Mr. Mu Gui-xin, head of the Civil Affairs Bureau; Mr. Chen Yong-feng of the national Government Information Office (local and international media coverage); head of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Mr. Huang Guo-rong (evaluation of cultural facilities and exchange of cultural issues); Mr. Hao Wen-zhong, head of the Transportation Bureau (transportation plans); and Mr. Jiang Jian-zhong (financial planning). Taichung City Industrial Development & Investment Promotion Committee Director Anna Wang gathered businesses and industries to sponsor the event, while Wong Yun-jie of the Civil Affairs Bureau and Zhu Qiong-fen of the Cultural Affairs Bureau were responsible for all of the project's administrative work. They all agreed with Ms. Huang Yue-lin that the trip was enjoyable and successful, adding that they were proud to be part of the hard-working team. Look in next month's issue for Part II of Mayor Hu and his team's sister-city tour.