Lai Meng-chia (賴孟佳) remembers a time in her childhood when she used to play by the rivers and rice terraces in Yilan County (宜蘭). So when the children’s book author was asked to design the visuals for this year’s Yilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival (宜蘭國際童玩藝術節), she naturally chose to depict children running barefoot through sprawling rice fields.
The annual festival which began in 1996 kicks off tomorrow by the Dongshan River Water Park (冬山河親水公園) in the county’s Wuchieh Township, with water games, exhibitions and musical and dance performances by entertainers from around the world. The event, which attracts both the young and the young-at-heart, will last until Aug. 14.
This year’s theme is the white egret bird (白鷺鳥). Lai says she chose it as the main motif in her visuals because they are commonly seen flying around Yilan’s rice fields. It was also the theme of the inaugural festival 20 years ago which she attended as a child.
Photo courtesy of Lai Meng-chia
“We rarely see children playing outdoors [these days],” Lai tells the Taipei Times. “Learning and exploring in nature stirs the imagination more than staring at computer screens.”
A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, Lai lived and worked in the UK for 13 years before returning to her hometown of Yilan’s Jiaosi Township (礁溪) where her parents used to run a kindergarten.
Growing up around dozens of other children, Lai recalls the simple, unfiltered way in which they viewed the world, something which translates into her illustrations of cheerful, smiling characters and animals. Utilizing simple contours and shapes, her drawings encourage readers of all ages to channel their inner child.
.jpg)
Photo courtesy of Lai Meng-chia
“I think every person has a pair of ‘pure’ eyes in them no matter what their backgrounds and age are,” Lai says.
Lai has been keeping visual diaries since 2004 where she scribbles scenes from everyday life. Her completed artworks are inspired by these observations.
“I play the casting director and set designer to start with and when I start to create, I become the actors in the artwork,” she adds.
Photo courtesy of Lai Meng-chia
In addition to writing and illustrating children’s books, Lai’s repertoire includes being one of the 100 artists in 2013 to design a graphic on a giant Easter egg as a part of the Big Egg Hunt, a yearly Easter egg hunt in London that doubles as a charity fundraising event. Her egg, which revealed squirrels and pigeons hiding in trees, was inspired by the woods near her friend’s cottage in Suffolk.
As for tomorrow’s opening day in Yilan, Lai hopes that the children (and adults) who attend will not only enjoy the performances and activities, but also appreciate Yilan’s abundant natural beauty the way she did as a child.
.jpg)
Photo courtesy of Lai Meng-chia
Just after 6am, I walked up to the ticket gate at Taipei Main Station and entered the Taiwan Railway platform without scanning any ticket; instead, I flashed the Sanrio Fun Rail pass on my phone to the gate worker and was admitted. I found my train and prepared to board. My destination? This very same station. I was embarking on a 13-hour journey on one of two round-the-island trains operated by ezTravel. They run each day, one counterclockwise around the island and one clockwise. They differ in a number of ways from an ordinary Taiwan Railway train and can make for
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
On Thursday, former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Seven others related to the case were also handed prison sentences, while two were found not guilty. It has been a bad week for the TPP. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) with suspicion of taking part in Beijing-directed election interference. Xu has strong links to the TPP, which once offered her a party list legislator nomination. Tuesday also
RSS