The cultural bureau selling fish?
No one can deny that Hung is the driving force behind the Pingtung Bluefin Tuna Cultural Festival. Fifty-seven years old, he favors suspenders and sports a bit of a belly. Previously in the music department at National Sun Yat-sen University, Hung transferred to Pingtung five years ago to take on the job of cultural affairs director, a post that was actually a step down in terms of official rank.
After assuming his position Hung established a business development committee, charged with finding Pingtung industries with the potential for further growth. Hung listed three requirements as they began their search: the industry must be earn more than NT$200 million in revenues yearly; it must have a clear seasonality to its operations; and it must have rich story-telling potential. Although the committee ended up recommending 37 different industries, none met all of his requirements.
Hung was racking his brains when a group of bluefin tuna fishermen arrived to see the county commissioner regarding their plight. While originally 80% of their catch had gone to Japan, the economic decline there had resulted in a severe drop in bluefin prices and in the amount they were able to export. Sitting in on the meeting, Hung discovered that Tungkang's bluefin sales amounted to over NT$300 million a year, that the migratory fish could only be caught in May and June of each year through a variety of special techniques, and that epicureans considered bluefin the very best for making sashimi. In other words, the industry met all three of Hung's requirements for the ideal business candidate for promotion and development.
While the agriculture and tourism officials were still wrestling over who should take the lead in promoting the bluefin industry, Hung passed a handwritten note to Su Jia-chyuan, then county commissioner and subsequently to become interior minister. It said, "Why not let the Cultural Affairs Bureau take charge of this?" That simple note would profoundly transform the bluefin industry in Tungkang away from a Japan-oriented export business and towards the creation of a sought-after domestic market.
After identifying the bluefin as the "Rolls Royce" of the fishing industry, the next task was to lock on to a target audience. Hung settled on the 35-and-up middle-class demographic, promoting bluefin tuna as gourmet seafood and Ping-tung as a top-notch tourist destination. "That first decision was crucial, because all our marketing efforts that followed would focus on this core group," says Hung.
To that end, Hung led Cultural Affairs Bureau staffers to speaking engagements at such major civic organizations as the Rotary Club, the Junior Chamber, and the Lions Club in central and southern Taiwan to implement a strategy of building a favorable image through word of mouth.
Based on this careful targeting, the festival, held in May and June each year, has ended up bringing in over NT$15 million to Tungkang from products and parking fees and over NT$2 million in tax revenue from various Tungkang restaurants and eateries. Add to that what tourists spend on packaged tours, transportation and related expenses, and the economic benefit of the festival comes to over NT$1 billion a year.
This arts activity gathers southern Taiwanese artists in Tungkang's fishmarket, drawing on their artistic eye to capture evocative images.