"City Spotlight" Lights Up Taoyuan! Yuan Ze University Faculty and Students Co-Create a Lantern Festival Art Extravaganza

The 2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival is taking place in Taoyuan from February 7 to 23, featuring the "City Spotlight" exhibition area, which highlights Taoyuan’s unique urban characteristics and diverse cultural heritage, offering a deeply immersive visual and sensory experience.

The exhibition is co-curated by Assistant Professor Jason Chiu from Yuan Ze University’s International Bachelor Program in Strategic Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Shanlan Mo from the International Bachelor Program in Strategic Communication. It showcases 13 artworks under the theme "Contours of Home," reflecting Taoyuan as Taiwan’s gateway to the world, where various ethnic groups—including Hakka, Indigenous peoples, new immigrants, Minnan, and military dependents—have migrated and settled, bringing together their stories and cultures. They collectively shape Taoyuan’s vibrant and unique urban identity through mutual acceptance and cultural fusion

Led by Yuan Ze University faculty, the "City Spotlight" exhibition also involves Indigenous and international students in the design and creation of artworks, integrating artistic creation with educational practice while highlighting Taoyuan’s status as a cultural hub. Among the featured artists, French artist and lecturer Shanlan Mo collaborated with international students to create "Fortune Path," inspired by aviation imagery. Additionally, Assistant Professor Wanwen Huang from the Department of Art and Design participated in the exhibition, working with students from the department, Hong Kong, and the Indigenous Amis tribe. Their collaborative piece, "Prayer for a Bountiful Year," incorporates totems and bamboo structures, symbolizing both the preservation and innovation of Indigenous and Austronesian cultural heritage.