Following its recent successes with the in-depth tourism-promotion events, “Butterfly Kisses” Theme Feast in Nantou County and “Dragon Palace” Feast in Yunlin, iSee Taiwan Foundation with the vision as “to become an essential portal for the world to see Taiwan”, launched another theme feast under the name of “Changhua’s Banquet in Time – Marvelling at Taiwan’s Beauty and the Feast” experience on October 30th, 2014 at Fuxing Granary Building, a registered historic site in Changhua County, as part of the efforts of the International Spotlight Central Region Project.

“Changhua’s Banquet in Time – Marvelling at Taiwan’s Beauty and the Feast” theme feast unveiled an innovative new “cultural code” approach to regional culinary tourism. Attendees were given the run of the historic building and asked to identify the cultural clues hidden throughout the structure. Each clue was associated with an iconic Changhua or Taiwanese culinary specialty. The fusion of synthpop and local Nanguan Opera music that was piped in during proceedings further heightened the event’s ambiance of innovative nostalgia.

Fuxing Granary is one of the last remaining grain storehouses in Taiwan dating from the Japanese Colonial Period (1895-1945). Chi-yang Chiang and his team captured beautifully the interplay of old and new in the building with their professional stage lighting setup, giving attendees a rare chance to take a virtual step back in time.

Private home cuisine for prosperous families in old times were arrayed on the main dining table, where local stories and cultural codes were displayed, reflecting the finest in regional and Taiwanese culinary artisanry. In the course of enjoying this delicious repast, attendees unraveled the prepared cultural codes one by one.

Couched in new cultural perspectives and experiences, International Spotlight Central Region Project uses food and traditional cuisine to reflect on history. Organizers thus also arranged a media tour to the historic town of Lukang that visited Ah-She Teahouse for a taste of millet mush (mian cha) shaved ice and almond tea, the Lukang Folk Arts Museum, and Lukang Longshan Temple – a grade 1 national historic site.

The theme feast at Fuxing Granary was attended by senior officials from Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Changhua County Government, and Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area as well as by key media and inbound travel agencies. Effective word-of-mouth, print and video media coverage will be able to get the word out to domestic and international travelers about the beauty that is “hidden in plain sight” in Changhua County. This theme feast marks a successful, high profile start to the series of International Spotlight Central Region Project activities yet to come.

Through the International Spotlight Central Region Project, iSee Taiwan Foundation is continuing to realize its mission of helping local governments and retailers to identify and promote the value to international tourism of local culture and cuisine. The dishes served at the theme feast have been incorporated into a distinctive “travel in time” menu that local F&B retailers can promote in combination with the cultural codes as an extra incentive for tourists to visit Central Taiwan’s five counties and municipalities. The entire package developed for the project is ultimately hoped to raise Taiwan’s overall visibility in international tourism.