TAICHUNG CITY, , Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Taichung City Government began hosting the 2018 Taiwan Design Expo on August 15th at Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park for a total 33-days of exhibition. This year the design expo took on the theme of the dialogue between "soft" and "hard," the expo focused on the future to explore diverse aspects, including digital technology, smart materials, craftsmanship, and urban design.
The design expo showcased the design power Taichung possesses while the design forum on Sep 13th and 14th highlighted the connection Taichung bridges with international cities that invest in design. At both the opening ceremony and during his speech, Taichung City Mayor Lin, Chia-Lung spoke about the city's future: "Taichung is ready to bid for the 2022 World Design Capital by embedding design into our city's planning, and, through the design expo this year and the floral expo around the corner, as well as the infrastructure of the riverside regeneration and Shuinan Smart city, citizens and industries will benefit from design, and Taichung will continue to be the most livable city in Taiwan."
Invited as one of the guest speakers, WDO president-elect Mr. Srini Srinivasan emphasized that design should emerge in society and citizens' daily life not only to catalyze the combination of old and new cultural elements, but also to influence economic and social issues - the ultimate power of design. This was also echoed by Board member Chen Shi-Kuan's remarks that bidding for the WDC title is only the beginning of thinking about how to improve life quality and economic growth. This process can only be successful when joined by design industries and citizens, and that communication is the DNA of a design city.
The forum also celebrated with speakers from 8 cities: Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Kobe, Toyama, Cape Town, Montreal and Paris. Speakers were invited to offer diverse perspectives and introduce multiple design roles through discussions across disciplines, borders, and topics. As Mayor Lin Chia-Lung said, the concept of Design To Connect has made Taichung become a hub for architecture, creative industries and design, and the design forum stands as the platform for these designers to deliver their views on the power of design and shows what Taichung has to offer to connect with international design cities. He hopes that this forum opens up future opportunities with international design affairs and is a stepping stone for Taichung to enter the international design stage.
![Young women dressed in the traditional attire of Guizhou ethnic minorities welcome guests attending the opening ceremony of the 2024 Colorful Guizhou Culture and Tourism Paris Promotion Week in Paris on Friday. [Photo provided to China Daily]](https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2397502/Young_women_dressed_traditional_attire_Guizhou_ethnic_minorities_guests_attending.jpg?p=medium600)
