The Beitou Hot Spring Culture Festival kicks off on the 16th – Sample traditional restaurant-style cuisine live

▲ A refined Beitou restaurant-style cuisine set meal. (Photo courtesy ofTaipei Tourism Bureau)

Reported by the Travel Center / Comprehensive Coverage

The 2014 Beitou Restaurant-Style Cuisine Culture Festival, for the first time this year, combines with mainland China’s hot spring culture. It will launch on the 16th at Xinbeitou MRT Station with a three-day celebration. The event will feature traditional displays and tastings of restaurant-style cuisine, demonstrations by renowned chefs, open-air movies, and unlike previous years, this edition also includes unique hot spring exhibits from Guizhou, Fuzhou, and Xiamen as well as elements of Chinese ethnic minority cultures. This injects a fresh cultural experience into Beitou’s restaurant-style cuisine, emphasizing a dialogue between different hot spring cities. Zhou Shuimei, chairperson of the Taipei City Hot Spring Development Association, noted that inviting participants from these three mainland provinces aims to let the public experience diverse hot spring cultures.

Guizhou has invited master artisans skilled in precious ethnic minority crafts such as Miao silverwork, embroidery, batik, paper-cutting, and the lusheng (a traditional wind instrument) to perform at the event. Afashi, an imperial banquet chef, will also make his first appearance, teaching the public creative fruit carving for restaurant-style cuisine plating. In addition to affordable and delicious samples of restaurant-style cuisine, the open-air cinema will screen the domestic film “The Chef.”

Qiu Pengxin, deputy director of the Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism, stated that this year marks the 4th edition of the Restaurant-Style Cuisine Culture Festival. The first year focused on introducing the fundamentals and basics of restaurant-style cuisine to help the public gain a basic understanding. The second year emphasized creativity and innovation, while the third year highlighted integrating restaurant-style cuisine into family life and engaging with children. This year, the festival innovatively blends Beitou’s restaurant-style cuisine with hot spring culture, and the organizers hope for enthusiastic public participation to bring people closer to the hot spring culture.

Zhou Shuimei, chairperson of the Taipei City Hot Spring Development Association, said that Beitou has long been a specially certified key featured commercial district among Taipei’s 12 administrative districts and 59 commercial areas. Over the years, it has earned numerous accolades. The French Michelin Green Guide has recommended Beitou as a must-visit destination in Taiwan, and the U.S.-based Fox News website, specifically the travel section of The New York Times, has praised Beitou as Taiwan’s hot spring paradise. These honors demonstrate that Beitou not only stands out domestically but has also achieved remarkable success in extending its international reach, successfully shaping Beitou into an internationally renowned city through its tourism image. Organizers further expressed their hope that through this exciting event, visitors to Beitou will have more diverse travel options beyond just hot spring bathing, thereby boosting summer tourism to the area.

To avoid traffic congestion during the event, please use public transportation to visit Beitou, enjoy its century-old hot springs, sample restaurant-style cuisine, listen to live Nangka music, and experience Beitou’s rich and diverse cultural heritage and tourism resources.

For event details, please visit the official website of the Taipei City Hot Spring Development Bureau,http://www.taipeisprings.org.tw/chinese/index/