A mega gathering of idol drama hotspots: Taiwan’s best finds at Taipei City Hall Plaza on April 28

Written & Reported by Wei Ru-wei, MOOK Travel Life Net

Want to try the cupcake that Yu Sheng gave his leading lady as a love token in the idol drama "True Love Doesn't Have to Be Complicated"? Or experience firsthand the makeup brushes that Lan Cheng-long played with in the movie "Pinku Pinku Lovers"? Or perhaps sample the rich pumpkin cheese cake made at Sheng Guang Fruit Shop—the filming location of "The Soul of Bread"? This coming Saturday and Sunday (April 28 and 29), the grand "Tribute to the Countryside & Taipei Carnival" event will take over Taipei City Hall Plaza with a full street closure. More than 20 famous products from movies and idol dramas—including the San Taizi figurines from "KANO", items from "Miss No Good" and "The Fierce Wife"…—will be showcased. Visitors can relive and feel the stories just like the characters in the dramas do!

This year marks the third edition of the "Tribute to the Countryside & Taipei Carnival", which has gathered 500 exhibitors across 8 major zones: Baking, Digital Life, Cultural Creativity, Specialty Dining, Beauty & Fashion, Non-store Retail, Health & Wellness, and local specialty products (OTOP) representing each town’s unique character. These include top ten souvenir vendors from various counties and cities, such as: Zheng Dao Di Steamed Savory Cake, Mi Shi Ti Dessert Kingdom, and Keelung Quan Li Rice Crackers…; well-known tourist factories, such as Wei Ge Cake Shop, Xing Long Towel Tourist Factory, and Xi He Third Generation…; local craft workshops, such as A Jin Jie Workshop, which produces pesticide-free handmade goods and is also a partner of MOS Burger; as well as specialty goods from the post-Typhoon Morakot reconstruction areas, such as the Namasia township green plum vinegar made in the only surviving fermentation jars from the disaster, and the mountain ginger black sugar handmade by community moms like Sister Yu….

On Saturday (April 28) at 3:40 pm, there will be a performance and charity sale by Taiwan’s Sweetheart Angela Wang, and at 6 pm, the "Living Fossil of Sound"—the Bunun tribe’s Eight-Part Harmony Choir—will perform. They are planning to head to Yushan this September to sing their heavenly voices in a bid to apply for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. The public can enjoy their performance here and lend their support in advance. On Sunday (April 29) at 1:00 pm, Fish Leong will also perform live at the event.

The event runs from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm on April 28, and from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm on April 29. During this period, spend NT$500 to join the “Five Blessings Full-Spending Draw”, where the more you spend, the more chances you have to win big prizes such as an iPad2, gold foil skincare products, five-star hotel vouchers, and shopping vouchers worth NT$10,000. Foreign visitors can enter the draw once extra upon showing their passport, even if they haven’t reached the spending threshold. There will also be fun activities such as the “People’s Estimation King”, QR-code check-ins for mobile scratch cards, the “You’re the Star” basketball game, and gift giveaways for filling out surveys.

For more details, please visit the official event website: www.bizmatching.org.tw.

● Read more: A collection of authentic Taiwanese flavors—Top 50 Taiwan souvenirs (Part 1)

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