The second “Taiwanese Children’s Festival in Greater New York” was held at the Taiwan Center in New York on May 17th. Children and parents flocked to the event, with long lines at many game booths and the sound of children’s laughter filling the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
The organizers stated that this year’s event far exceeded expectations in terms of popularity, with the venue clearly inadequate for the crowd. They are considering expanding the scale next year and finding a larger venue to continue the event.
This edition of the Children’s Festival was jointly organized by the National Taiwan Normal University Alumni Association in the East Coast (NTNUAA), the Foundation for the Advancement of Social and Cultural Advancement, and Taiwan YES!, with support from several overseas Taiwanese organizations.
The event focused on traditional Taiwanese children’s games and cultural experiences, featuring various classic childhood games and cultural displays such as puppet shows, marble tables, bottle hanging, darts, ring toss, fishing games, ping pong, rice cake molding, sticky ball toss, and paper box folding and clothing painting. The activities aimed to allow both children and adults to experience the vibrancy and warmth of Taiwanese culture through interaction and laughter.
Ji Qinghua, the chief planner of the event, stated that the theme of the second Children’s Festival was “Love Taiwan, I Love Taiwan.” Building on the success of last year’s event, this year witnessed even greater popularity. The plan is to expand the event’s scale in the future to continue enhancing the influence of Taiwanese culture.
Weng Yalin, a mentor from the Foundation for the Advancement of Social and Cultural Advancement, expressed the hope that second and third-generation Taiwanese children born overseas could develop a close connection to Taiwan and its culture from a young age. She advocated for them to refer to visiting Taiwan as “returning to Taiwan” rather than just “going to Taiwan” in the future.
Wang Yiru, the director of the New York Cultural and Educational Services Center, envisioned the Children’s Festival becoming one of the representative cultural events in Flushing and a highlight of Asia-Pacific Cultural Month.
The event attracted numerous Taiwanese families as well as families from mainland China, Hong Kong, other Asian communities, and local Americans, showcasing a vibrant scene of multicultural exchange.
Children and parents of various ethnicities expressed their excitement about participating in this event. Taiwanese children and parents were particularly thrilled as they could experience the joy of their ancestors and develop a deeper understanding of Taiwanese culture through play. Meanwhile, children and parents from mainland China also thoroughly enjoyed the event, showing their love for the activities. Some Western attendees also showed a keen interest in Taiwanese traditional culture, viewing it as a unique experience that allowed them to appreciate the distinct cultural charm.
A couple, along with their daughter Zhang Xile, attended the event. The husband of the couple stated that he truly enjoyed such activities as they preserved wonderful memories of Taiwan for his wife and daughter, and they look forward to participating again next year.
Mr. Morrison attended the event with his daughter, wife, a Taiwanese friend, and her French husband. They all expressed immense pride in Taiwanese culture through their participation in the event and pledged to introduce Taiwanese culture to their communities. Mr. Morrison also highlighted that many authentic elements of Chinese traditional culture are well-preserved in Taiwan, which is something to be cherished.