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Interview time: 9:00 am, Feb 13,
2012
Recorded by Yi-min Chou, Pei-Chi Cheng, Ming-Yun Shih |
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1. Why was this year¡¦s Lantern Festival chosen to be held in Lukang?
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Because the Changhua County government tried for the past 3 years to obtain hosting
rights in other locations but have failed each time. In 2011, they proposed the
hosting location of Lukang and obtained hosting rights. The reason Lukang was selected
in 2012 is because we combined the unique local historical sites, specialty foods, and
arts and crafts of Lukang into the lantern festival¡¦s theme and design. The main
reason is because Lukang is a special place with many unique characteristics. |
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2. How is this year¡¦s Lantern Festival in Lukang different from previous lantern
festivals? |
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What are the characteristics of the lanterns in each of the areas?
In previous years, the Taiwan Lantern Festival was always limited to a specific area.
The Changhua County government took the cultural city of Lukang and designed an event
that would combine its historical sites, its specialty foods, and its unique arts and
crafts. It further set up cooperative relationships with many of Lukang¡¦s traditional
arts craftspeople. The most unique aspect of this year¡¦s festival is that the entire
town of Lukang is the festival exhibition area. The festival is divided into many
lantern sections, with each section having its own special theme and characteristic
lanterns. Each theme is closely related to the sections of the town that they are in. |
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3. What parts of this year¡¦s Lantern Festival are you most satisfied with? Which
parts do you feel need further improvement? |
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I am most satisfied with how this event has allowed Lukang to shine like never before,
and how it has significantly boosted Lukang¡¦s popularity and people¡¦s familiarity
with the town. Of course, this event has also brought a great deal of business
opportunities, which is also beneficial to the local community. But, any advantages
are sure to come with disadvantages. I think that the communication with local
residents for this event was not done as well I as would have wanted. I think that if
local residents were properly informed about all of the plans for the event, there
would have been a much higher degree of acceptance among locals.
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4. What was the greatest difficulty that you encountered in the process of organizing
the lantern festival? |
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The most difficult part was the traffic. Lukang¡¦s roads are inherently small and
narrow, and we made the problem worse by turning it into a lantern exhibition site.
Therefore, the most difficult part was the planning of the traffic and transportation
routes.
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5. How were the traffic routes planned during the festival, and how did you manage to
relieve some of the pressure on the roads systems? |
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We set up 7 major parking lots in the peripheral communities, and provided transport
buses to serve as the main means of transportation for tourists. The main routes were
the routes that the transport buses serviced. |
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6. What will you do with the ¡§large lanterns¡¨ from the festival after it is over? |
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We will accept applications from government agencies and departments, public schools,
and private organizations, and will provide the lanterns to the appropriate parties to
further extend the benefits provided by the lanterns.
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7. Did you used to play with lanterns when you were a child? Do you have any special
memories regarding lanterns? |
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Sure! The lanterns I used to play with as a child were made of paper, and candles were
placed inside them. I liked to watch the lanterns burn after the candles fell over
inside them. This was not just a pastime for me during childhood, the beauty of the
flames from the burning lanterns made me deeply fascinated in the world of lanterns. |
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8. With so many traditional arts and crafts, how does the mayor promote the
traditional arts of Lukang? |
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There are many traditional arts that I am fond of, such as wood sculpting, tin
sculpting, and gold sculpting. Because they are so unique, 6 out of the 36 National
Heritage Award winners are from Lukang, which accounts for 1/6 out of the total 319
counties and townships in the nation. You should be proud of Lukang Township. We used
many methods and channels to promote and market Lukang¡¦s traditional arts, thereby
ensuring that these traditional arts are well preserved and passed on to the next
generation. |
Welcome us from Mayor of Lukang Township
Interview with Mayor of Lukang Township(¤@)
Interview with Mayor of Lukang Township(¤G)
Photo with Mayor of Lukang Township
¡@Click the
Photo to Zoom in or Zoom out¡I |
