Taiwan may be 6,000 miles from Preston but thanks to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) people can experience Taiwanese culture right here in the city later this month.
The University’s free Spotlight Taiwan Festival will take place on Monday 29 April on the Preston Campus, where visitors can try free bubble tea from TAIPEC, play traditional Taiwanese chess and have a go at creating their own comic book stories.
The Spotlight Taiwan Festival is normally academic-focused but organisers from the University’s Institute for Area and Migration studies are keen to share Taiwanese culture with the local community.
"We’re keen to bring a real flavour of Taiwan to Preston."
— Lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies Ti-Han Chang
Lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies Ti-Han Chang said: “We’re keen to bring a real flavour of Taiwan to Preston.
“We’re especially excited to welcome Taiwanese comic artist Lin Li-Chin, who will deliver an interactive comic workshop, and through our theme of ‘Home’ we will share experiences of people who have both migrated to Taiwan and Taiwanese emigrants abroad. It will be an informative and interesting event.”
Professor Niki Alsford, Director of the Institute for the Asia Pacific Studies, will launch his new book Taiwan Lives at the event and it will conclude with a screening of the short documentary film Mimi’s Utopia, which highlights the hardship Southeast Asian female migrants in Taiwan faced in forming their new homes on the island.
"We’re especially excited to welcome Taiwanese comic artist Lin Li-Chin, who will deliver an interactive comic workshop ..."
— Lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies Ti-Han Chang
The 2024 Spotlight Taiwan Festival: HOME x Migrants, will take place on Monday 29 April from 11.30am – 3.30pm in the University’s Greenbank and Harrington Buildings.
It is free to attend but people are asked to register.
For more information email Dr Ti-han Chang.
This event is sponsored and supported by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture and TAIPEC Bubble Tea.