00:00Sounds of Taiwanese tai-gi inside a packed convention center in Seoul.
00:13This Taiwanese band helping to kick off Taiwan's pavilion at Korea's largest book fair.
00:20Taiwan is the book fair's guest of honor, meaning it's been given a large space
00:24right at the entrance to showcase its literature and culture.
00:28One of its central goals is to allow more people to get to know Taiwan.
00:58Inside, over 500 Taiwanese books, some translated into Korean, organized into six distinct areas,
01:11each exploring a different aspect of Taiwan.
01:14Its food, its lifestyle, and in this area, its history.
01:18This timeline introducing Taiwan's past, which organizers say is similar in some ways to Korea's.
01:26Japanese colonial rule over both countries ended 80 years ago, following Japan's defeat in World War II.
01:32The space also introduces one of Taiwan's largest religious pilgrimages in honor of the sea goddess,
01:52as well as its indigenous and queer literature, with an interactive incentive to visit the entire area.
02:00Each visitor to the Taiwan pavilion gets this passport, and once they visit one of the six areas,
02:05they can stamp their passport, and once they get six stamps, they might be able to win a prize.
02:11Its overall theme, Taiwan sensibility, derived from a hashtag used by some Korean people on social media
02:19when posting photos of Taiwan, reportedly meant to convey the sense of nostalgia or warmth they feel
02:26when visiting the country. This wall displaying photos posted with that hashtag.
02:31The pavilion is also hosting cultural events, giving out Taiwanese snacks, and holding talks
03:01with Taiwanese authors, 23 of which came with the pavilion's organizers to Seoul to share their work,
03:07including this artist, known for his online comics.
03:10I think this is a great opportunity to share these works with Korean readers.
03:16Of course, because my book is still not translated into Korean, I think it's a great effect,
03:21but it's a great opportunity to make Korean readers see the artist's picture picture.
03:26Many publishing companies from Taiwan are also here, hoping to introduce
03:30their work to their Korean counterparts, this publisher hoping to advertise this comic book, among others.
03:50It's a chance, organizers say, for Taiwan's publishing industry to broaden its collaboration with
03:56publishers in Korea, and for Korean people to learn more about Taiwan as a whole.
04:01The pavilion, packed with Korean visitors, each with different takeaways and reasons for being here.
04:07I'm interested in queer-friendly culture, and as I'm one of my first ever told so, I already have a kind of a
04:16badge related to Taiwan's queer pride or something. And it is really interesting that there's a lot of
04:24rainbow quacks around here, so it feels like, okay, this is the world where the queer pride would
04:35exist with proud, not like Korea. I'm a big fan of Chun Su-ho, and I'm very excited to meet him,
04:44because I really want to talk and listen here about the books and his life.
04:51Yeah. Her favorite book, one that describes life in Taiwan.
04:56It is the life in Taiwan, so it is very similar with Korea, so I was very touched.
05:04So, for five days at the Seoul International Book Fair, Taiwan's literature, culture, and history is
05:10in the spotlight, with the hope of deepening interest and understanding of Taiwan's story,
05:15and to spread its art and words far beyond its borders. Scott Huang and Cadence Quaranta for Taiwan Plus.
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