Taiwan Showcases its Technology and Traditions at the 2019 International Arts Festival in Sugar Land in Texas
Crown Festival Park at Sugar Land is a windy venue that’s perfect for kite flying and on April 27, professional kites in a wide variety of styles flying high over Texas State Highway 59 in the City of Sugar Land caught the eye of drivers and passersby.
Residents of Sugar Land and nearby Houston are no strangers to all sorts of fun activities happening all year round. The Sugar Land City Hall holds events on weekends throughout the year, including kite festivals, arts festivals, and international festivals. This year, for the first time, the Sugar Land City Hall integrated many smaller annual events into a large International Arts Festival, held at the Crown Festival Park on April 27.
The festival featured booths representing different countries, artisan booths, art activities, singing performances, and different contests including chalk art drawing, kite flying, cooking, and dancing.
The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston was invited to set up a booth representing Taiwan in the country booths section, along with India, Libya, the Middle East, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the United States. It’s done this showcasing different aspects of Taiwan in the past few years at the Sugar Land’s International Festival, formerly held in November. The Taiwan booth at the new International Arts Festival put a model of the Taipei 101 building, aircraft models, a delicate Taiwanese tea set, and Chinese calligraphy writing set on display to present both the technology and the traditions of this modernized country in Asia to local Americans. And visitors to the booth really enjoyed trying out a pinball game, typically found in Taiwan’s night markets. The booth attendants also took good advantage of the windy venue and made some of its “Study in Taiwan” flyers and brochures into pin wheels to use as a part of its decoration which were also very popular.
The organizers estimated that at least 15,000 people attended this cheerful International Arts Festival.
PHOTO From left: Taiwan booth assistants Chun Wei Chen, and Roger Lo; Isabelle Chen, Coordinator at the Education Division; Isabelle’s canine companion Maximus - much loved by booth visitors; Taiwan booth assistant Juliette Casas; Peter Chen, the Director-General of TECO in Houston, and Sophie Chou, the Education Division Director, in front of the Taiwan booth.