Experience Taiwan and Dragon Boat Festival

Festival of Dragon Boats and Taiwan Culture

Almere’s Esplanade and Weerwater were the setting for the Taiwan Experience festival, complete with dragon boat races, on Saturday 20 June 2009.

For one day the city’s waterfront was transformed into a mini-Taiwan, with a range tents and podia showcasing Taiwanese culture, from traditional music, dance, sport and games, to typical cuisine and various workshops.

The event was organized by amsterdam inbusiness, a co-operative enterprise involving the local authorities of Amsterdam, Almere, Amstelveen and Haarlemmermeer.

Weather defied

Despite the threatening clouds, the weather remained more or less dry for the estimated 8,500 visitors, there to watch the exciting dragon boat races and discover more about Taiwanese culture.

After several heats on the three-lane, 200-metre long course, the corporate team boat races were won by (large boat, 16 paddlers) ABN AMRO Gibo and (small boat, 8 paddlers) Yang Ming.
The large boat race for teams from the Dutch dragon boat association (KNBF) was won by the Concrete Dragons.

VIPs from Taiwan welcomed

The festivities began with a closed VIP event for Taiwanese expats and companies from the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, and a 15-strong delegation from the Taiwanese city of Tainan in Almere especially for the festival.

The day before, the delegation led by Tainan’s Mayor Tain Tsair Hsu had visited various projects in Almere, including the Archipel residential care centre, Letterland junior school with its international department, and the town centre’s underground refuse system.

First time event in Almere

Mayor Annemarie Jorritsma welcomed Mayor Hsu and the Taiwanese representatives - and their dragon boat team - on behalf of all the mayors of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.

“This is a special day – the first time Almere has organised such an event,” she said, thanking the city of Amstelveen for handing it over. It was because of Almere’s leading position in the Amsterdam area in terms of its relationship with Taiwan that the festival was moved from its original home.

Festival a show of gratitude

The new Taiwan Experience element was “a show of gratitude to the Taiwanese business community and its expats for starting a new life in the Netherlands,” said Mayor Jorritsma.

Representative of the Taiwan government Frank Lui echoed the sentiments, and noted that “the Taiwanese are like the Dutch – excited to meet the challenges of a new era.”

Foundation for new cooperation

“This is an important event symbolising the bond of friendship between our two cities,” said Liu. “I’m very enthusiastic about the relationship established to promote culture, trade and business. It is a new foundation for better cooperation and new partnerships of benefit to both.”

 The two mayors signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation, the result of a successful trade delegation led by Mayor Jorritsma several years ago to Taiwan.

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