The "Craft Taiwan" International Forum on Handicraft Industries Exchange between Taiwan and the Philippines 2021 was held at the Center for Innovation Taipei on Oct. 27, providing insight into the development of cultural entrepreneurship in Taiwan and the Philippines through physical presentations and online streams. The forum invited local crafts, weaving, and handmade shoe brands, as well as the founder of Taiwan Craft School Chen Ming-hui (陳明輝) and the founder of Shangdrok April Tang (唐青) as keynote speakers to share their abundant creative energy and the current market situation in Taiwan and the Philippines.
As part of the event, products by Taiwanese brands were packaged into a "local creation experience package" and sent to local organizations, influencers, and social media opinion leaders in the Philippines who are fond of handicrafts and cultural creations. Through a full sensory experience of Taiwanese crafts, they could sense for themselves the warmth and texture of Taiwanese materials. At the same time, they could share their impressions of Taiwan's creative products and new creations on their own social media outlets, helping to spread Taiwan's cultural image while experiencing the nation’s high-standard manufacturing.
The content of the package, a manifestation of Taiwan's soft power, was selected based on four criteria, including design products from Taiwan with a sense of life, semi-finished products with local materials, manufacturers who develop creation tools for Taiwan, and high-quality design products from Taiwan.
The "Craft Taiwan" event was organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Section of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, co-organized by Pop Up Asia and planned and run by C Plus Culture, and aims to boost the creative energies of both the Philippines and Taiwan and energize their markets, creating closer cultural ties in the process. Further event information can be found at the official website.