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The “2024 Kaohsiung Reading Festival” Official Open with Grand Magic Show: Immersive Experiences, Book Exhibitions, Markets, and Mini Salons Await!
Date:2024-12-02
:多元文化部
Kaohsiung City Mayor Chi-Mai Chen has attended the
Kaohsiung City Mayor Chi-Mai Chen has attended the
Daxien the Illusionist’s fascinating and mesmerizing performance sparked joy among the audience. His performance marked the beginning of this year’s Kaohsiung Reading Festival.
Daxien the Illusionist’s fascinating and mesmerizing performance sparked joy among the audience. His performance marked the beginning of this year’s Kaohsiung Reading Festival.

【Kaohsiung】November 9 marked the first day of the “2024 Kaohsiung Reading Festival” at the Kaohsiung Main Public Library. The grand opening ceremony featured numerous guests from various sectors, including Kaohsiung City Mayor Chi-Mai Chen; Legislators Jui-Lung Lai and Dai-Hua Lin; Kaohsiung City Councilors Chun-Hsien Chiu, Fei-Feng Huang, Wen-I Huang, and Yung-Yu Tang; as well as many famous authors.

 

For the three-week-long Kaohsiung Reading Festival, the Kaohsiung Main Public Library will host different publishing companies and independent bookstores every weekend, with 110 publishing companies and independent bookstores invited to participate. Aside from three harbor book exhibitions and outdoor markets, the Kaohsiung Reading Festival also features 26 special programs and mini salons, 73 speeches from charismatic guests, and three special-themed book exhibitions.

 

During the opening ceremony, Kaohsiung City Mayor Chi-Mai Chen went up to the stage during Daxien the Illusionist’s performance. With Daxien’s help, Mayor Chi-Mai Chen successfully performed a magic trick by multiplying a hand fan from thin air. This performance also symbolized the growth of reading in Kaohsiung. Their funny interactions drew much laughter from the audience, who were mesmerized by Daxien’s fantastic magic tricks.

 

Mayor Chi-Mai Chen remarked that the tenth anniversary of the Kaohsiung Main Public Library coincides with Kaohsiung City’s centennial celebrations. The mayor has attended the “Kaohsiung Reading Festival” for three years since its inauguration in 2022. He credited his predecessor, former Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu, for the bold vision and its role in bringing the event to reality.

 

As a new main library for the citizens of Kaohsiung, the Kaohsiung Main Public Library was first established in September 2014 as a cultural landmark of the city and is the first new main library in Taiwan. Its establishment became a model for other local governments to commit to reforming library spaces, leading to a surge of other main libraries under construction nationwide. Thanks to the presence and influence of the Kaohsiung Main Public Library, Kaohsiung has become a cultural capital.

 

The tenth anniversary of the Kaohsiung Public Library (KPL) marks a new milestone in its history. By structurally merging cultural facilities and innovative businesses and incorporating new business models, KPL aims to expand the diversity of its services and create a new era of culture.

 

When attending the Kaohsiung Reading Festival, Mayor Chi-Mai Chen expressed gratitude for the businesses that have supported reading in Kaohsiung and for their contributions to enriching KPL’s collection of books. As a library, KPL has stood ahead of any other libraries in Taiwan since 2023 by reaching out to children and teenagers ages 13 to 18 who are either registered as Kaohsiung citizens or are pursuing their studies in Kaohsiung. Knowing they are interested in public libraries and local issues, KPL invites them to participate as young board members. These efforts have successfully built a bridge of collaboration between KPL and the youth.

 

As a sustainable city, Kaohsiung has performed marvelously this year, ranking first in environmental and economic power categories. In the past century, Kaohsiung has faced the changes brought about by constantly advancing innovative technologies, granting increased visibility for the city’s international competitiveness.

 

According to Director-General Wen-Tsui Wang from the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, the Kaohsiung Reading Festival’s local influence has grown in the past three years since its inauguration. The Kaohsiung Reading Festival features a variety of activities that showcase the results of KPL’s hard work and experiences over the past years. Having citizens participate and participate in the experiences has also cemented the Kaohsiung Reading Festival’s position as an essential cultural landmark in the city.

 

Director-General Wang hopes that the Kaohsiung Reading Festival will become a critical exchange platform that would interest other publishing companies to visit, get to know, and fall in love with Kaohsiung. She encourages more culturally creative talents to take the opportunity to participate in the Kaohsiung Reading Festival in the future, allowing it to become a hub for the distribution of culture and inspiration.

 

KPL Director Chin-Yang Lee expressed that the Kaohsiung Reading Festival has become a host for cross-disciplinary gatherings between creators of different sectors, including theatre groups, musicians, authors from Taiwan and abroad, illustrators, and local bookstores.

 

The variety and diversity of the sectors involved in this year’s event are most evident in the speeches featuring speakers from various fields and occupations. The Kaohsiung Reading Festival is a perfect venue to demonstrate Kaohsiung City’s inner strength to the readers.

 

“Reading” should not only be limited to books. The power of reading can also be expressed through music and painting. It can take the form of a city or be conveyed through an individual’s understanding and admiration for a particular work. KPL invites Kaohsiung residents to participate in the experience and exchange ideas at the Kaohsiung Reading Festival, where local and international speakers will share their perspectives on Kaohsiung and the harbor city.

 

According to KPL, the opening ceremony of the Kaohsiung Reading Festival featured a sharing session with the topic “It’s True! Reading Truly Saved Me!” The discussion was held between singer Ariel Sha and author Sharky Chen, who expressed their interest in reading. Meanwhile, artist Yu Han Lien talked about “The Extension of Reading,” which she described from the perspective of an actress. Aside from these talks, the opening of the Kaohsiung Reading Festival also featured a live performance from NibbunChorus, a group from Liugui. Having polished their craft in the valleys, NibbunChorus has won many international awards, and their performance successfully touched the hearts of the audiences. The group Our Theatre, known for their commitment to theatre education in rural areas, was also in attendance, presenting a unique theatrical performance most suited for those fond of Taiwanese culture on the first day of the Kaohsiung Reading Festival.

 

Citizens who missed out on the opening ceremony’s performances can still attend the activities on November 10 to watch the Double & Cross Theatre Group’s performance. They can also listen to a sharing session from the Kaohsiung-born Saoxia and Dami Huang, who will present a homecoming talk with the theme “Reasons for Heading North and Difficult Experiences when Homecoming.”

 

But that’s not all. Justin Su, who won Best Taiwanese Male Singer during the Golden Melody Awards, will return to Kaohsiung to perform at the event. In addition, the widely popular VM Theatre Company members will be available to meet with citizens at the Kaohsiung Reading Festival. Of course, fans of Manzai comedic shows should attend and watch the B.L. Walk duo’s humorous performance at the event. Without a doubt, the Kaohsiung Reading Festival is bound to be filled with joy and laughter in the coming days.

 

Plenty of other activities await at the “2024 Kaohsiung Reading Festival,” and registrations are still open for those interested in signing up. For more detailed information, please visit the official website of the Kaohsiung Reading Festival at https://2024libkrf.ksml.edu.tw/.

  •  November 9 marked the first day of the “2024 Kaohsiung Reading Festival” at the Kaohsiung Main Public Library, with numerous guests from various sectors attending the grand opening ceremony.
    November 9 marked the first day of the “2024 Kaohsiung Reading Festival” at the Kaohsiung Main Public Library, with numerous guests from various sectors attending the grand opening ceremony.
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Updated2024-12-16 AM 09:03:07
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