In recent years, many young people returning home and new settlers have brought fresh ideas and creative energy to Taitung. These young innovators are no longer content with traditional agricultural marketing models. Through brand building and aesthetic design, they are taking Taitung’s stories to the world.
One such example is Ching Ze, founded by local entrepreneur Chen Hung-Ting, who integrated Taitung Hot Air Balloon imagery with three-dimensional paper sculpture design to launch Taiwan’s first hot air balloon-shaped gift box. The product won the Food Innovation Awards’ highest honor—three stars—allowing Taitung’s local culture to take flight nationwide through its exquisite packaging.
(Photo credit: Ching Ze)
(Photo credit: Ching Ze)
(Photo credit: Ching Ze)
The Power of Branding to Redefine Local Perception
Since establishing Shop Taitung in 2015, founder Liao Yu-Sheng has recorded local stories through writing and film, turning heartfelt creations like handmade brooms by a 90-year-old craftsman and wild herb soaps into products loved both locally and abroad. Ching Ze also selects local ingredients such as South Link Red Quinoa and Luye Red Oolong Tea, creating five signature snacks including Bubble Tea Pastry and Red Oolong Pineapple Cake, and has received the Taiwan Triple Brand Award for three consecutive years. Through design aesthetics and e-commerce platforms, these young creators have successfully transformed Taitung’s agricultural products into cultural expressions, allowing the region’s stories to reach more consumers and become part of their everyday lives.
(Photo credit: Taitung County Government)
Culture and Youth: Creating a Stage for Talent
Taitung’s diverse cultural heritage and youth creativity have created strong artistic potential, yet there has long been a lack of proper performance spaces. Taitung Locking King, dancer Tsai Jen-Hao, who won the Locking China championship in 2025, chose to return home to establish KEEP DANCE STUDIO. Since 2016, his City of Sunrise Street Dance Battle has entered its ninth year. His efforts to promote skate and dance-friendly facilities have given Taitung’s youth a professional platform to express themselves, while inspiring the Taitung County Government to establish the Youth Affairs Development Committee to respond to local needs.
(Photo credit: KEEP DANCE STUDIO)
(Photo credit: Taitung County Government)
(Photo credit: Taitung County Government)
Co-Creation and Community Collaboration
Taitung continues to need spaces that reflect local culture. The Green Field Creative Design Team has long worked closely with communities to co-create exhibition spaces. In 2023, the team curated the Taitung Pavilion at the World Hakka Expo, themed “Hakka – Homeland – New Homeland.” After extensive field research across local villages, they incorporated materials such as rice, millet, and shell ginger to highlight the cultural fusion between Hakka and Indigenous traditions.
Their exhibit won the iF Design Award, Germany, 2024, standing out among more than 11,000 entries from 72 countries—proof that Taitung’s youth, through collaboration and creativity, are elevating local culture onto the global stage.
