According to a report by the “4wayvoice”, Pingtung County’s Multicultural Creative Market (屏東縣多元文化創意市集) has been in operation for six years. This year, the Pingtung County Government (屏東縣政府) followed the successful experience of Pingtung City to Chaozhou Town (潮州鎮) for the first time. Today, people from 12 countries including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, China’s Inner Mongolia, Canada, Bolivia, Myanmar, Jamaica, Austria, and Japan, came to participate, with a total of 29 stalls, and Mr. He Mu (何穆) from Egypt, who lives in Chaozhou Town, mobilized a total of 6 groups from the local dance troupe to perform at the main event. The market assists new immigrants to adapt to life in Taiwan, to taste their hometown flavor, and to let the people see the multicultural landscape of Pingtung County.
New immigrants from many countries exchange a "taste of hometown". Photo/Provided by the Department of Social Affairs of Pingtung
Director Liu Mei-Shu (劉美淑) of the Department of Social Affairs (社會處) stated that the New Immigrants’ Multicultural Market uses "gathering locations" to promote the work of the new immigrants’ community. Through the monthly fixed time, fixed location market, new cultural elements are injected into the county, and at the same time, it serves as a place of exchange for new immigrants, a place that strengthens the human network and the community momentum. From September to November, the multicultural market is held every first Sunday of the month in the Chaozhou Japanese Cultural Park (潮州日式文化園區). People from all walks of life are welcome to visit.
Pingtung opened the 2021 Multicultural Creative Market. Photo/Provided by the Department of Social Affairs of Pingtung
Feng Mei-Chen (馮美珍) from Quickbuy, Indonesia’s grocery store has been in Taiwan for more than 20 years and has lived in the Silin community of Chaozhou Town. She is very happy that the New Immigrants’ Market has come to Chaozhou Town to prepare a variety of Indonesian daily necessities, hometown food and snacks, etc. Aside from letting Indonesians enjoy the taste of their hometown, it also allows the public to feel the warmth of Indonesia and the temperature of Chaozhou.
Since the opening of the Pingtung County Government Multicultural Market, the self-assertion and recognition of new immigrants has been enhanced, and personal brands with special characteristics have been created. It has also helped many groups of international families achieve economic improvement. From September to November, the multicultural market will be at the Chaozhou Japanese Cultural Park every first Sunday of the month and will be at the General Sun Liren’s Hall (孫立人將軍行館) in Pingtung City on the second Sunday of every month. With this brand-new model of multicultural market, new immigrants can buy the taste of their hometown at any time.