The Tech World Pavilion, originally built by Taiwan for last year’s World Expo in Osaka, Japan, is to be recreated and displayed at the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County next month, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
The pavilion is being brought back to Taiwan to give local audiences access to an exhibition linking technology, nature and culture, with Chiayi selected because the pavilion’s “Nature Theater” was inspired by Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told a news conference.
The pavilion, which attracted 1.16 million visitors during last year’s expo, features three immersive zones: the Life Theater, which highlights Taiwan’s ecological resilience through kinetic LED installations; the Nature Theater, which uses 3D technology to recreate landscapes such as Jiaming Lake (嘉明湖); and the Future Theater, which showcases Taiwan’s role in the global semiconductor supply chain using high-resolution Mini LED displays, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The decision to display the pavilion at the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County was made after scouting 30 sites in northern, central and southern Taiwan, and taking into account festivities and other factors, International Trade Administration Director-General William Liu (劉威廉) said.
The pavilion is to open to visitors on March 1, two days ahead of the opening of the Taiwan Lantern Festival, to accommodate more visitors, Taiwan External Trade Development Council chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said.
Both the festival and exhibition at the pavilion are to end on March 15, he added.
“The pavilion’s exterior might not be exactly the same as that at the World Expo, but it would nevertheless capture the look and feel of the original design. The exhibits at the three theaters will be presented as faithfully as possible,” Huang said.
International Trade Administration Deputy Director Susan Hu (胡啟娟) said that all pavilions at the Osaka expo had to be fully dismantled after the exhibition ended, and the construction materials recycled.
However, the pavilion’s exhibition would be recreated using advanced technology, she said, adding that starting today, people can start making online reservations to visit the pavilion.
Funding for the reconstruction of the pavilion, estimated at NT$80 million to NT$90 million (US$2.5 million to US$2.9 million), would come from the remaining funds from building the original pavilion and financial support from the Executive Yuan, Hu said.
This year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival is to feature “Light of Alishan — A World of Illumination,” as its main lantern, performances by domestic and international groups, such as Aomori Nebuta Festival, Irish step-dancing, Paper Windmill Theater and Ming Hwa Yuan, as well as fireworks and drone shows.
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