Telus TaiwanFest 2011
Multiculturalism and diversity are surely milestones of Canadian culture and history. It’s not easy to accomodate diverse cultures, habits, customs, and values on a daily basis. Canada has managed to become home to people with hugely diversified cultural backgrounds, harmonizing under one citizenship. From September 3rd to 5th, you’ll have an opportunity to discover some more about one of the cultures that is very much alive in Canada: Taiwanese culture, with its music, food, games, dance, lectures, film, and art!
Music
Young artists of Taiwan are going to present contemporary Taiwanese music. Let’s hear how it can differ from what we might be used to and enjoy the music events of this three-day festival. On Sunday, September 4th at 8:00 P.M., there will be a concert by Della, one of the most popular Taiwanese singers, who started her career in China. Magic power and Champions are other artists you’ll be able to see at the festival. These two boy bands brought new, fresh world music to Taiwan. Let’s see if they do so in Vancouver as well. Traditional instruments such as dizi, liuqin, yangqin, xiaooruan, zhonggrun, pipa, erhu, cello, and percussion are played by Musou Girls’ Band, which managed to combine young Taiwanese artists with the mastery of composer Mr. Xue Xuan Liu. Another blend of two different approaches can be found in the Chairman band, combining Rock and Roll and Taiwanese folk traditions. The last piece of music you’ll be able to experience at the festival is the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra. Founded in 2001, it is one of a kind in Canada and one of few in the world! If you like contemporary music, then you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to see them.
Food
Beef Noodles by jeffreyw
TAIWANfest will feature two of the finest Taiwanese chefs: Chef Hung, three-time champion of Taiwan’s Beef Noodle contest, preparing his winning recipes which you can then buy at World Café during the festival; and Chef Deng, presenting Taiwanese culinary influences in various Chinese provinces. Another event you might be interested in is the Jing Si Tea Ceremony, which is deeply connected with the philosophy of Tzu Chi, encouraging respect and love.
Games
Survey Says, the first of the games presented at the festival, explores stereotypes in Canada and helps to deal with them via various activities. There is also a space for children to show off a little, designed by Taiwan’s MPM, Math Brain Battle is a math game where they can prove how clever they are when it comes to numbers and logic. Water world is a display of pictures made by children depicting marine life conservation that will be part of the festival, and there will also be an opportunity to build dragon boats!
Dance
The 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung offered a unique programme, Techno Prince, that was only performed in temples and rituals against evil before. Today, it is an essential part of every Taiwanese event, as a combination of this tradition and the contemporary dance culture.
Lectures
Canadian TaiwanFest by Felex Liu
For those who’d like to hear more about Taiwanese aboriginal cultures, Prof. Jolan Hsieh, Ph.D., will give a lecture entitled “(De)Constructing Indigenous Stereotypes and Identities in Taiwan.” Additionally, Mr. Candle (Huang, Ming Cheng), is going to offer a short documentary about travelling around Taiwan handstand-walking, and it will include some acrobatic acts as well.
Film
You’ll have an opportunity to see the document Hip-Hop Storm, presented at the New Asia Festival in 2009. Also screening will be Go Grandriders!, a film about 17 seniors in their 80s travelling around Taiwan, and the documentaries Savour the Flavours of Taiwan and Faces of Taiwan.
Arts
On Saturday, September 3rd through to the 10th at Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre at 181 Roundhouse Mews (Davie & Pacific), you’ll have an opportunity to be amazed by Taiwanese ceramics art.