The China Post
Date: May 13, 2017
By: Chris Chang, Supplement Writer

Since the publication of “Why Taichung is the most livable city in Taiwan” on

Every year during the Taichung Mazu International Festival, local performance groups and visitors from Taiwan and abroad come together for a series of festivities around the time of Mazu’s birthday. (Photos: Morgan Lin, The China Post; Courtesy of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Taichung City Government)

CNN.com last year, there has been an ongoing discussion about whether or not the city stands worthy of such a claim. From its weather, famed eateries and slower pace of life to its prolific arts and music scenes, almost all aspects of the city have been put under the spotlight and in turn praised or criticized.

Regardless of the contrasting opinions, the city’s stardom has never been as great as it currently is. Toward the end of this year’s Taichung Mazu International Festival (媽祖國際觀光文化節), we had the pleasure of sitting down with Shih Chun-Fu (施純福), deputy director-general of the Taichung City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau (臺中市政府文化局副局長), to get a true insider’s take on the culture and values of Taichung.

Prior to his role at the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Shih, a graduate of Tamkang University’s Graduate School of Education Media Science (淡江大學教育資料科學研究所), spent more than 20 years in the field of library and information science. Shih worked at Taipei Public Library (臺北市立圖書館) in his early years, then later at Kaohsiung Public Library (高雄市立圖書館), where he assisted the Kaohsiung City Government (高雄市政府) in establishing 14 new public libraries and revamping more than 30 old libraries for an all-new improved reading environment for Kaohsiung’s citizens.    [FULL  STORY]