Fostering Local Talent: Chiayi County Hosts CulTech+1 Competition to Drive Cultural and Technological Innovation

The "CulTech+1 Cultural-Tech Co-Creation Competition" was organized by the Culture & Tourism Bureau of Chiayi County and Cultech, with the award ceremony was held at AMBI SPACE ONE, the first immersive art exhibition venue in Taiwan. Chang-Liang Weng, the Magistrate of Chiayi County, and technology industry leader Stan Shih signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during the event, pledging to advance cultural and technological innovation, foster industry linkages, and strengthen local talent cultivation.

Chiayi County collaborated with 4 major cultural venues—the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, Sugar Town of Taisugar (TSC), Pei Gui Hall in Hsin-Kang, and Dalin Township—attracting nearly 50 creative teams to reinterpret cultural spaces through technology.

Each venue possesses its own core cultural values, and participating teams employ various technological applications to interpret and convey distinct cultural scenes from different perspectives. Taking Sugar Town as an example, the team enhances the experience by incorporating a mini-train ride, allowing participants to revisit the sugarcane fields of the 1950s through AR. Furthermore, the MR-powered "Time Corridor" showcases the rich history of Sugar Town. Additionally, the teams from Pei Gui Hallu and Dalin Township have introduced diverse digital applications to recreate cultural content, immersing audiences and showcasing the innovative fusion of culture and technology.

This competition, supported by the Digital Industry Agency, promotes the application of 5G in cultural technology. Magistrate Weng emphasized that cultural content industries are essential drivers of the digital economy. Through this event, young creators demonstrated their abundant creativity, providing impetus for Chiayi's future transformation.

Stan Shih, Acer Group Founder, and recent Global Longevity Ambassador award recipient, noted Chiayi's potential to develop a cultural tech brand and encouraged Taiwan to continue its contributions to cultural soft power.

Pei-ling Hsu, Director of the Culture & Tourism Bureau of Chiayi County, further noted that cultural technology endows the city with essential soft power resources. The teams' creative proposals have been refined, turning ideas into potential industrial applications. Chiayi County will continue to integrate cultural technology, actively cultivate diverse talent, and drive Chiayi’s multifaceted development.