By Kevin Young
The New York Mets will be promoting Taiwanese culture on their annual Taiwan Heritage Night, August 30th in a joint partnership with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB). The event takes place at Citi Field when the Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies.
In a press conference sponsors from the Mets, Taipei Economic Trade Office of New York (TECO-NY), Taiwan Tourism Bureau of New York (TTB), and China Airlines all spoke greeting the media and explaining the significance of this event.
The Deputy Director General of the TECO-NY, Alex K. S. Fan, was overjoyed to elaborate about this year’s event. “The TECO has this policy to promote tourism to overseas foreigners with the Mets’ help more people can enjoy and understand Taiwan’s beauty,” said Fan. “There are lots of places to see. There are very good foods to try. The people are also very hospitable, friendly, and speak a certain degree of English. It’s a very safe environment. People are very welcoming of tourists.”
Harold Kaufman, the executive director of the Mets’ communications, was delighted to once again host Taiwan Heritage Night at Citi Field. “We are very excited on behalf of the entire Mets organization to showcase the Taiwanese culture through song and dance. It’s very exciting anytime we are celebrating different cultures and heritages.“
Thomas Chang, Director of the TTB of New York, was excited to introduce more entertainment and performances that the TTB has planned. Fans will be entertained during the pregame on the Mets Plaza starting at 6:00p.m., by Taiwanese aboriginal tribal dances, Techno Santaizi dances, and Taiwanese vocal performances from China Airlines’ flight attendants. The Taiwanese mascot “Oh Bear” and the Mets’ mascot “Mr. Met” lightened up the mood at the press conference humorously interacting with one another. They will be present on game night to pose in pictures together with fans.
Randy Lu
Randy Lu, a Taiwanese top ranked professional tennis player, will throw the honorary opening pitch. Lu will also be signing autographs throughout the entire 2nd inning.
Wayne Wang, from the Mets Group Sales Department, championed the original Taiwanese Heritage Night and explained its inception. “10 years ago we thought we had a lot of different cultures in New York. We decided they should all be honored, not only Taiwanese culture, but Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and Jewish cultures too. We started to have cultural nights at Mets games,” said Wang, “We have performers and singers from different countries. This is the first year the TTB is the title sponsor. We will also be playing Taiwanese commercials on the big screen for all to see. Even if you aren’t physically at the game, if you are watching the game on TV, you will still be able to watch the local Taiwanese commercials.”
Overall the Mets and the TTB will continue to promote the Taiwanese culture and tourism for many years to come. For all attending the game on the 30th be sure to get your own personalized photograph with Mr. Met and Oh Bear together. In addition the first 750 fans to purchase tickets through a special online offer at Mets.com/Taiwan will be given limited edition Taiwanese cheering sticks to root for the Mets during the game.
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