Taichung Gets International Attention:
The World Leadership Forum's Culture and Arts Award

Words by Taichung City Goverment
Translated by Sho Huang

Taichung was recently nominated for a Culture and Arts Award by The World Leadership Forum. This nomination is not only the first of its kind for Taiwan, but also unprecedented in the Asia-Pacific Region, acting as a testament to Taichung's commitment to culture.

Taichung has again earned itself a place on the international stage by receiving a nomination for the Culture and Arts Award from The World Leadership Forum. The two other cities competing for this award are Albuquerque, New Mexico and Lima, Peru. In the long run, it doesn't matter if Taichung wins or not--just being nominated on such a short list is the real honor.

The World Leadership Forum
The World Leadership Forum was founded in London in 2005. Each year, more than 400 cities around the world are in the running for 15 different awards. Taichung is the first city in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region to receive a nomination for the Cultures and Arts Award. After sending its application off in June, Taichung learned of its acceptance shortly thereafter. On December 6, the winner will be announced.

The other two cities in the category, Albuquerque and Lima, have both won several awards in past years. Lima is a contender because of its youthful energy and unique blend of cultures; Albuquerque is impressive because of its future vision. Taichung's campaign for the title is built on a theme of "Culture, Economics, and the Vision of an International City." Besides trying for the Cultures and Arts Award, Taichung is also competing for the "City of the Year Award" for the Asia-Pacific region.

What makes Taichung great?
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu believes this nomination is a great opportunity for Taichung publicity. He's considering attending the ceremony in London himself, in order to personally deliver the presentation to the judges and show his support. At this moment, Taichung city government's team is working hard on the presentation, so that they can introduce Taichung to the world!
Our city has won numerous awards from renowned magazines, like "The Most Habitable City", "The City Most People Want to Move To" and "The Most Ideal City". Geographic advantages and a well-developed traffic network, which includes CCK International Airport, the High Speed Railway, good highways and expressways, the national railway system, well-planned buses, and the future MRT system, have given Taichung great future potential. All of the transportation options available in Taichung have made many places in Taiwan accessible within an hour. After the direct flights between China and Taiwan are launched, Xiamen city will also be reachable within an hour.

The Central Taiwan Region
Mayor Hu also stresses the importance of utilizing resources from our same region. This means supporting businesses and products from places like Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou and Yunlin. The Central-Taiwan Region has a population of 6 million and is ranked as the 13th most populous area in Asia (Tokyo is ranked No.1 with a population of 25 million), so there is a lot of consumer power here.

Arts and culture sell
Unlike many other metropolitan cities, Taichung's had the foresight of making culture a great asset; this not only raises cultural appreciation among citizens, but also brings business to Taichung. Cultural creativity is the ticket to successful business in 21st century. While creative cultural activities help preserve local culture and give it newfound popularity, activities also help bring in local and international businesses. The Fulfillment Amphitheater, Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Metropolitan Opera House, TADA (Taiwan Architecture, Design, and Art Center) and the future Grand Palace Museum Taichung are all the results of cultural creativity.

Activities like music festivals, "Painting the City," "Reading City," the Jazz Festival, and Shining Cultural Season activities like the Lantern Festival, DaDun Literature Awards and DaDun Arts Exhibition are all helping put Taichung on the international culture map.

Being nominated is already an acknowledgment of Taichung's hard work. To gain international recognition, cities in Taiwan should be less focused on pitting themselves against each other and more focused on finding a niche in the international community. By gaining recognition as a popular international destination, Taichung can benefit from more business, more exposure, and more culture. Recognition from the World Leadership Forum is already putting Taichung on the path to future success.