Lovely Taiwan Foundation
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Taipei, Taiwan |
Key people | Ko Wen-chang (founder and chairman)[1] Lee Ying-ping (CEO) |
| Website | new |
The Lovely Taiwan Foundation (Chinese: 台灣好基金會) is a private foundation established by Taiwanese venture capitalist Ko Wen-chang in 2009. The foundation aims to revitalize Taiwanese villages and towns by helping them market their products and tourism.
History
[edit]Established in 2009, the Lovely Taiwan Foundation implemented some of its first initiatives in Chihshang, Taitung.[2] The annual Autumn Harvest Festival has featured musicians A-Mei and Wu Bai, as well as Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, over the years.[2] In addition, the foundation set up a shop in Taipei to promote tribal crafts from indigenous communities and products from independent small farms in rural Taiwan.[3]
Typhoon Morakot relief
[edit]In August 2009, Taiwan saw the deadliest typhoon to impact its shores in recorded history, and Taimali in Taitung County was especially hard hit. The Lovely Taiwan Foundation organized a charity concert and raised NT$10 million for the disaster relief in Tamali. Two full-time employees were sent to Taimali and oversee the construction of a public plaza to allow for tribal rituals and social gatherings.[4]
Working with the local Paiwan community for about 3 years, the plaza was reconstructed with traditional symbols and patterns such as hundred-pace snakes and mountain hawk-eagle feathers.[5]
Subsequent projects
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In 2010, the Lovely Taiwan Foundation established Tiehua Music Village in Taitung County to promote indigenous music and culture, building a venue that hosted various singers such as Crowd Lu. The foundation announced the closure of Tiehua in 2023, after 13 years of operations.[6] CEO Lee Ying-ping explained that foundation had an original goal of a revitalized music scene in the area, and the project had achieved this goal by boosting the local economic and cultural development.[7]
In 2015, the Lovely Taiwan Foundation officially launched its artist-in-residence program in Chihshang.[8] In the same year, it launched Project Shennong (神農計畫), which is modeled after the farm-to-school program of the United States Department of Agriculture. The foundation seeks out businesses to sponsor 15 programs at rural elementary schools in Miaoli County and Pingtung County.[3]
Funding
[edit]Asset management firm Fuh Hwa Securities (復華投信) has contributed to the Chihshang project.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Chen, Yi-shan (13 June 2023). "帶池上驚豔國際後，他們在潮州掃地8年 長輩從給閉門羹到主動投餵". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b "The Chishang Autumn Harvest Festival". Commonwealth Magazine. 8 August 2018.
- ^ a b Liu, Hui-ju (8 December 2018). "打造池上人文慶典 台灣好基金會活化地方創生". Mirror Media (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Kuo, Shi-chen (10 November 2013). "文創生活學 台灣好只參與不干預深耕鄉鎮". Merit Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Lin, Chun-hsu (27 September 2020). "以古法重建頭目家屋 再現台東嘉蘭部落文化". Mirror Media (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Taitung's Tiehua Music Village to close by year-end". Taipei Times. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Tsai, Min-yu (3 November 2023). "台東鐵花村為何熄燈 台灣好基金會正式回應了". China Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ a b Yi, Ho (27 May 2015). "When artists and farmers meet". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 March 2024.