Taichung’s premier literary event has officially arrived! Hosted by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, the “2026 Taichung Literature Festival – A City Generated Through Literature” was inaugurated on the 18th at the city's new cultural landmark, the Taichung Green Museumbrary. Led by promotional ambassador Allison Lin (Lin Yu-Hsi), the festival runs from now until July 5, spanning the city’s mountain, coastal, Tun, and urban districts. The program features 15 literary lectures, walking tours, cross-disciplinary events, and exhibitions, inviting citizens to immerse themselves in literature and co-create Taichung’s unique literary landscape.

The opening ceremony featured a performance by the band SoulFa, followed by a symbolic "building block" ceremony to signal the festival's launch. Participants included Pan Mei-Chun, Specialist Committee Member of the Cultural Affairs Bureau; Cheng Hsi-Hsi, Xitun District Chief; ambassador Allison Lin; and esteemed writers such as Lin Wu-Hsien, Kan Yao-Ming, and Liu Shu-Fu.

Pan noted that the Taichung Green Museumbrary, where literature meets art, uses light and space to spark inspiration. This echoes this year’s theme, “AI City: Generating,” emphasizing that whether through human touch or technology, compelling works only emerge from a wealth of experience and material. Chen Chih-Yu, General Manager of Linking Publishing, added that literature cultivates sensitivity, transforming daily life into words that infuse the city with warmth and nuance.

Allison Lin remarked that literature is a "dreamlike art" blending reason and emotion. She expressed her pride in returning to Taichung to promote the arts, and following the ceremony, she joined writer Tang Shu-Wen for the first dialogue session to share inspirations from reading, writing, and acting. The Cultural Affairs Bureau also highlighted the “Inspiration in the Making” series, which blends film, music, culinary culture, and creative writing. Highlights include animated film screenings with Q&As, international culinary exchanges, and workshops combining divination with creative writing, bringing literature into daily life in diverse forms.

The festival also includes the “Stories Unfolding” lecture series and “Setting Out from the City” walking tours, featuring writers like Liu Luo-Yi, Chu Yu-Hsun, Ku Yu-Ling, and Lin Kai-Lun. Meanwhile, the Taichung Literature Museum is hosting the “Mapping Literature in Motion” exhibition, featuring works by Liu Ke-Hsiang, Chen Hsueh, and Yan Shu-Hsia, who use text to piece together the city's unique literary geography.

The 2026 Taichung Literature Festival continues through early July. In a special collaboration with CSD, a limited-edition "Taichung Literature Festival Pouch" has been released. The public is invited to participate and experience the charm of literature in the everyday. For more information, please visit the Taichung Literature Museum’s Facebook page or official website (https://www.tlm.taichung.gov.tw/).