Sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, the Taichung Children's Arts Festival has entered its seventh anniversary this year. It has become the most expected event in Children's Day not only in central Taiwan but also in entire Taiwan. Boasting of being "creative, classic and artful", the Taichung Children's Arts Festival features this year such programs as the Children's Art Train, the Children's Art Grand View Garden, large-scale performances by the Paper Windmill Theater Troupe, the Artist in Wonderland of National Museum of Fine Arts, My home Taichung, and Paper Windmill's Creative Exhibition of Taiwanese Animals and Insects. The Cultural Affairs Bureau held a press conference on March 27 to invite kids of all ages to the Taichung Children's Arts Festival.
The press conference was ushered in by the classic repertoire "Chicken City Stories” performed by the Paper Windmill Theater Troupe. Those chicken-headed citizens in the show were singing and dancing vividly, reminding everyone that the main activities of Children's Arts Festival were starting officially. In his speech, Deputy Mayor Tsai Bing-kun (蔡炳坤) invited everyone to participate in this feast of art. Zhang Shu-bao (張書豹), CEO of National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and Zhang Ren-ji (張仁吉), Deputy Direct of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, also welcomed everyone to experience art during the event period. Stella Yeh (葉樹姍), Director-general of Cultural Affairs Bureau, said, “Children's Arts Festival this year is very different. We have not only expanded the scope of activities but also moved ahead the beginning show time to March 17. We have also added three cultural centers into the venue list. In addition, the installationart show ‘My home Taichung’ is unveiled today at the scene. This installationart show is sponsored by nine agencies of the Taichung City Government, including the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Land Administration Bureau, the Transportation Bureau, the Construction Bureau, the Urban Development Bureau, the Economic Development Bureau, the Environmental Protection Bureau, the Agriculture Bureau and the Tourism and Travel Bureau. In the installationart show, the Chinese White Dolphins will lead our kids to navigate the ‘construction, culture and future’ of Taichung. By exposing them to so many facets of Taichung City, we hope our kids will care for the land where they are raised.”

Music, dance, drama, and activities throughout Greater Taichung
In addition to Wenxin Forest Park and Fulfillment Amphitheatre, three culture centers, namely the Huludun Cultural Center in Fengyuan, the Tun District Art Center in Taiping, and the Seaport Art Center in Qingshui are added into the venue list this year. Starting from March 17, a number of high-quality arts teams would take the "Children's Art Train" to tour among the three cultural centers. They are the Little Frog Theatre, the Open Theater Group, the Stone Theatre, the StageNet Theatre, and the Modern Arts Dance Theater. During the long holidays of Children's Day, the above-mentioned arts teams and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and the Only Me Children's Theatre will then perform at the Wenxin Forest Park under the main theme of "Children's Art Grand View Garden." In addition to performances, there will be interactive booths in which the public can interact with the actors in three main areas of music, dance, and drama. It is hoped to give our kids a new art experience!
At the Fulfillment Amphitheatre, the Paper Windmill Theater Troupe will perform three popular classic children's dramas, namely "Chicken City Stories", "Wu Song Fights the Tiger" and "Paper Windmill Fantasia” at 19:30 for three consecutive days between April 4 and April 6. It is hoped that our children will enjoy every day during the long holidays of Children's Day!

“Artist in Wonderland” of National Museum of Fine Arts makes children closer to the fine arts
The “Artist in Wonderland” program held at the National Museum of Fine Arts will present several selected paintings, including "A Teenager Dressed in Red (紅衣少年)” by Hsi Te-chin (席德進), “Portrait of Buffalos (水牛群像)” by Huang Tu-shui (黃土水), and "Hope (盼)" by Hung Jui-lin (洪瑞麟), etc. The paintings will be showcased together with interesting games in a hope to make children feel closer to the fine arts. In addition, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of National Museum of Fine Arts, a large three-dimensional puzzle will be presented by using the five famous paintings in Taiwan, including the "Memorial Day (祭日)" by Liao Chi-chun (廖繼春), the "Pigeon Lucky (白鴿獻瑞)” by Wu Long-wing (吳隆榮), "18 Stars (十八星宿)" by Lee Chun-hsien (李俊賢), "Drum Dance (鼓舞)" by Wu Hao (吳昊), and “Wealth Double Happiness (富貴雙喜)" by Zhan Qian-yu (詹前裕). Again, the puzzle will be presented together with fun games and explanations by actors so as to make our kids better understand the historical background of the paintings. Of course, all these meticulous arrangements are meant to attract audience to enjoy a more complete collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts.

"My home Taichung" lead the children to travel around Greater Taichung
Nine bureaus of Taichung City Government have worked together to set up "My home Taichung", an installation art, to showcase the “construction, culture and future" of Taichung. Our kids are led to navigate many facets of Taichung City, such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Taiwan Tower, the Rainbow Art Park, the Taichung Park, the Houli Horse Race Course, the Gaomei wetlands, the Mazu pilgrimage, pastry culture, the express BRT, the Cross Shaft Park, and green city. It is hoped that children will be encouraged to care for the land of their own growth. All the exhibits will be moved to the city hall after the Children's Arts Festival, so that more people will get to know Taichung through them.

"Paper Windmill's Creative Exhibition of Taiwanese Animals and Insects" debuts from Taichung City
Organized by the Paper Windmill Cultural and Educational Foundation, the Paper Windmill's Creative Exhibition of Taiwanese Animals and Insects will make its debut in Taichung and then a roving exhibition around Taiwan. To stir the imagination of our kids, the insects at the scene will be creatively designed in a variety of proportions. In addition, there will be an overwhelming whale of 70 meters long and 12 meters high. This “Whale Theme Pavilion” can accommodate all our kids in the big belly of the whale, making them feel as if they are entering the deep sea. It will inevitably become a must-see and must-visit target!
Except for the "Paper Windmill's Creative Exhibition of Taiwanese Animals and Insects", which requires a ticket for admission, all the other arts-related activities are free of charge. Everyone is cordially invited to participate in.