Discover the Charm of the “Slow Life”

Learning from the mountains, sea, and Austronesian culture
The Living School, the Expo’s main venue at Taitung County Gymnasium, invites visitors to “relearn how to live.” Through installation art, environmental sound, and interactive experiences, it explores how the mountains and sea shape everyday life in Taitung and how Austronesian culture can inspire a reassessment of contemporary ways of living. Curator Gina Hsu says that Taitung’s appeal lies not only in its scenery, but also in a philosophy of life of harmony with nature.

Huang Enqi, a young Amis volunteer, shares one story after another from local life: the tradition of Indigenous community women gathering limpets; the evolution of the bamboo bell, or kakeng, from a ritual object into a medium for innovation; and the Falangaw (Malan) Indigenous Community’s efforts to preserve polyphonic chanting. He gently reminds visitors: “You don’t have to understand everything at once. It’s enough to just take your time and explore.”

The Expo also turns “slow” into a sensory experience, guiding visitors to listen to ocean waves, insect calls, and Indigenous community songs. They can also learn to mimic the motions of surfing, swinging a bat, and extracting fiber from ramie—moving from observation to physical practice as they try out what it might mean to “become a Taitung local.”

Visitors are invited to write letters to themselves, their families, friends, or hometowns, linking one message to the next—and one human encounter to another.

During guided tours, young Amis volunteer Huang Enqi draws on his own experiences to share Austronesian culture and stories from his community.

With the theme “Slow for Life,” the 2026 Taitung Expo invites visitors to savor the slower pace of life unique to Taitung.

Slow memories across time
The exhibition “The Memory Bank: A Harvest of Taitung’s Collective Life” is like a time machine, revisiting Taitung residents’ shared memories. These include the former Datong Theater, Yong Quan Sports Park with its natural spring-fed swimming pool, and the Bat Cave Folk Song Restaurant; village chiefs’ loudspeaker announcements and families gathered around the television to watch baseball; long journeys over the mountains, with travelers getting carsick and vomiting; the Bethlehem Mission Society’s founding of Kung-Tung Technical Senior High School, where traditional woodworking and other skills are taught; and midwife Sun Xiunü’s dedication in remaining on call day and night to deliver babies.

The “Cultivating” section of the collective memory exhibition introduces products rooted in Taitung’s terroir, including Luye red oolong tea, Chishang rice, and beach vitex. Meanwhile, the “Tiding” section documents ways of co-existing with the sea, featuring records of catching fish fry, harpooning swordfish, women divers gathering seaweed and shellfish from the ocean, and Green Island’s Flying Fish Festival. The whole exhibition shows how, in the face of typhoons and other disasters, Taitung residents have learned to support one another through uncertainty and work together to rebuild. Guide Wu Xingfang says, “Taitung is highly inclusive. Diverse ethnic groups have come together on this land, and everyone leads a rich, fulfilling life.” Although she hails from western Taiwan and only later relocated to Taitung, she says she is proud to call herself a local.

The exhibition recreates scenes from the past and combines them with a generative AI “time machine” installation. Adults happily reminisce while children joyfully play the interactive games, creating lively exchanges across generations.

The other thematic exhibitions are equally engaging. For example, Walk‑In Taitung explores the hot-air balloon culture of the Luye Plateau. Super Taitung: Back to the Nature turns an introduction to wild vegetables and local products into an interactive shopping experience, ending with a taste of a Taitung specialty tea. Taitung Fire Up: Community Participation Plan Exhibition uses a barbecue as a metaphor to present initiatives by 22 local teams, while TTwilight Golden Theater—The Stories of Drifting and Striving in Taitung tells life stories of leaving Taitung, returning home, and moving there. Each exhibition presents Taitung from a different angle; together, they form a portrait of Taitung’s cultural landscape.

At A1 The Living School, an interactive light installation evokes Taitung’s sunrise, starry skies, and natural rhythms.

At the Taitung Lifelong Wellness Complex, A9 Taitung Fire Up: Community Participation Plan Exhibition uses a barbecue as a metaphor for how civic initiatives take shape.

A9 Taitung Fire Up showcases the creative proposals and achievements of 22 local teams.

All of Taitung becomes an exhibition hall
The Expo extends its curatorial reach throughout Taitung, turning Taitung Art Museum, historic districts, the National Museum of Prehistory, and Taitung County Library into exhibition venues. Starry Taitung concerts, the Taiwan International Balloon Festival, the Taitung Fringe Festival, the Taitung Sound Art Festival, and Taitung Expo: Festival X Parade bring culture and nature together in a countywide presentation without walls.

Also memorable are the young local volunteers stationed throughout the exhibition zones. They warmly welcome every visitor, offer thoughtful explanations, guide people through the interactive displays, and readily share their own experiences. Their presence lends the Expo a genuine human warmth and gives real meaning to Wu Xingfang’s words: “Taitung has fine mountains, clear waters, and genuine interpersonal empathy.”

A2 Super Taitung: Back to the Nature is located in the plaza at Taitung Tree House in the Old Station District.

A2 Super Taitung: Back to the Nature uses a supermarket setting to showcase products rooted in Taitung’s land and climate.

A2 Super Taitung: Back to the Nature helps visitors discover local ingredients and specialty products through interactive experiences.

Slowly falling for Taitung
Taitung may feel far away, but that very distance makes each stay more meaningful. Here, “slow” does not mean standing still, but rather is a choice to live well with nature, time, and other people. A saying heard throughout the Expo captures the idea: “We don’t want one million people to come once, we want 10,000 people to come 100 times.” Taitung is in no hurry to be seen in full. Instead, it hopes travelers will come to know it gradually over repeated visits—and gradually become part of this land’s memory.

【2026 Taitung Expo Theme: Slow for Life】

• Dates: Friday, July 3–Thursday, August 20, 2026
• Exhibition layout: Nine zones and 23 thematic exhibitions across Taitung County, including The Living School at Taitung County Gymnasium, The Memory Bank in the Old Railway Station District, Taitung Art Museum, the Kitamachi Japanese-Style Dormitory Complex, and Taitung County Library
• Admission: Free at venues throughout Taitung; some experiential activities and talks require advance booking
• Official website: taitungexpo2026.com.tw

Located at 275 Warehouse in the Old Station District, A5 Walk‑In Taitung explores the terrain of the Luye Plateau and how hot-air balloons fly.

A5 Walk‑In Taitung combines light, sound, and video to immerse visitors in the sensation of rising in a hot-air balloon.

A3 The Memory Bank: A Harvest of Taitung’s Collective Life takes visitors into the shared memories of Taitung residents.

A view inside A3 The Memory Bank.

At A3 The Memory Bank, the Zone of Waving explores how residents along Taitung’s 176-kilometer east coast and on its offshore islands live with the sea.