The National Youth Commission yesterday introduced its “Youth Travel Spots in Taiwan” project for the winter vacation, hoping to create opportunities for young people — Taiwanese and foreigners alike — to get in touch with local culture.
“When asked about their own countries, most foreign students in Taiwan are able to give a detailed introduction to their culture, as well as interesting places in their countries,” commission chairwoman Wang Yu-ting (王昱婷) told a press conference in Taipei.
“However, when young Taiwanese are asked the same question, most of them are only able to talk about the food, snacks and the Taipei 101 skyscraper,” Wang said.
The commission’s new “Youth Travel Spots” in Taiwan is aimed at giving young people in Taiwan, as well as those from abroad, the opportunity to see, touch and experience Taiwan’s rich cultural heritage, Wang said.
“You may have seen a ox-pulled carriage in a book, but seeing one with your own eyes and riding one is another thing,” she said.
The commission has designed 40 “youth travel spots” and routes for the project.
A two or three-day stay in Rende Township (仁德), Tainan County, would allow participants to learn traditional drumming from a Grammy Award-winning local drum troupe and take a ride on old-fashioned trams used to transport sugarcane from fields to sugar refineries.
A stay in Jhongliao Township (中寮), Chiayi County, would give visitors the opportunity to learn how to dye clothes using herbs. Participants can also learn traditional Taiwanese hand puppet skills from hand puppet masters in Yunlin County, or bring home traditional hand puppets.
More information is available online at youthtravel.tw/grandtour.
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