The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Taichung City Government has been honored for the sixth consecutive time with the Ministry of Culture’s "Outstanding Cultural Volunteer Team Award." This year, the Taichung City Seaport Art Center (Note 1) received the team award, while nine volunteers were recognized with individual honors. In addition, multiple venues affiliated with the Bureau, along with nearly one hundred volunteers, received commendations at the 2025 Volunteer Service Awards. These accolades highlight the deep and enduring collective strength built by these volunteer teams over the years. The Cultural Affairs Bureau noted that volunteers devote their time to culture and support the city through action, bringing art and reading into everyday life—forming one of Taichung’s warmest and most inspiring cultural landscapes.

The Taichung City Seaport Art Center Volunteer Team delivered an outstanding performance this year, receiving the Ministry of Culture’s "National Outstanding Cultural Volunteer Team Award." Volunteer Chiang Hsiu-yuan was presented with the Outstanding Cultural Volunteer Bronze Award and received multiple gold, silver, and bronze honors under the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Volunteer Service Awards. Established 25 years ago, the team now comprises 172 volunteers who have long supported exhibition tours, theater services, and family-oriented arts activities. Through study groups and training, volunteers continue to strengthen their professional skills and emotional bonds. Many team members have received volunteer awards from both the central and local governments, demonstrating the team’s deep-rooted commitment to culture and its steady, heartfelt contributions.

At the Dadun Cultural Center, several senior volunteers have accumulated 30 to 35 years of service, dedicating themselves to arts promotion and audience services for decades. Among them are recipients of the Ministry of Culture’s National Outstanding Cultural Volunteer Gold and Bronze Awards. Their long-standing dedication reflects the center’s strong tradition of sustained commitment, making the volunteer team an indispensable and warm force in Taichung’s cultural promotion. This year, certificates were presented to 153 volunteers, with more than one hundred individuals receiving honors from central, local, and institutional volunteer award programs.

The Huludun Cultural Center Volunteer Team stands among the nation’s elite, having received the Ministry of Culture’s highest honor—the National Outstanding Cultural Volunteer Team Award—three times, a rare achievement nationwide. Over the years, the team has actively promoted indigo dyeing craftsmanship, drawing attention from domestic and international exchange groups. This year’s recognition ceremony adopted the theme "Golden Harvest," symbolizing how cultivation through love and dedication ultimately yields a radiant cultural landscape. The team also created an indigo-dye experience zone during the "Taichung Citizens Picnic Day" in Xinshe, turning traditional craftsmanship into a cultural highlight. This year marked the retirement of Yu Sung-ken, the team’s longest-serving volunteer with 37 years of service, exemplifying the enduring legacy of cultural volunteers.

Established 17 years ago, the Tun District Arts Center Volunteer Team now includes 134 volunteers, nearly half of whom have served for more than a decade. The team’s annual service hours total approximately 23,000, reflecting a stable and substantial contribution to cultural services. This year, many volunteers received recognition through central and local government volunteer awards. Notably, a pair of sisters serving as volunteers were honored respectively with Taichung City’s First Class Volunteer Service Award and the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Silver Award, in recognition of their long-term dedication to arts promotion and public service.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau also highlighted the outstanding achievements of the Fiber Crafts Museum Volunteer Team. This year, six volunteers received commendations from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, including three Silver Awards and three Bronze Awards, while another volunteer was honored with Taichung City’s Second Class Volunteer Service Award. Several volunteers have accumulated more than 1,000 service hours at the museum, accompanying visitors as they discover the beauty of fiber arts and providing the institution with its most reliable support.

In the field of cultural heritage interpretation, the Cultural Heritage Office Volunteer Service Team currently has 156 members organized into four sub-teams covering the mountain, coastal, Tun, and central districts. For many years, they have guided citizens through historical sites across the city. This year’s Special Contribution Award was presented to Huang Yi-ming of the Central District Team, who hand-drew architectural illustrations and material diagrams to make guided explanations clearer and more accessible. By integrating cultural heritage with natural ecology, his work leads visitors from the humanities into nature, deepening both understanding and emotional resonance. In addition, 16 volunteers reached ten years of service this year, continuing their dedication to preserving the city’s cultural memory.

On the front lines of reading promotion, the Taichung Public Library now counts more than 2,300 volunteers, with total annual service hours exceeding 150,000 for four consecutive years. The library has received 64 awards from central and local governments in recognition of its volunteer achievements. Among these volunteers are individuals who have contributed over 24 years and more than 37,000 service hours, vividly illustrating another meaningful chapter of life through post-retirement community service. The Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that it will continue to strengthen volunteer training and support systems, working hand in hand with volunteer partners to advance reading and cultural services and to build a warmer, more people-centered cultural city.