The government is set to launch its plan to develop 16 Hakka towns along Provincial Highway No. 3 next year, Premier Lin Chuan said today at Taipei's Hakka Yimin Festival, adding that the development of Hakka culture and communities is very important to President Tsai Ing-wen and the Executive Yuan team.
Under the project plan, measures will be taken to promote the industrial economy and improve the natural environment and cultural landscape of these Hakka communities to create a "Hakka Romantic Avenue" along the north-south provincial highway.
Citizens of Hakka ancestry make up about one-fifth of the Han population in Taiwan, and Premier Lin said that their spirit of diligence and frugality is an important feature of Taiwan society, and their age-old culture is an essential element of nation's cultural wealth.
The premier said he was happy to see many Hakka citizens, members of other ethnic groups and even foreign friends gathering together to take part in the festival activities. Such unity and cohesion are the essence of the Hakka spirit, as well as the Taiwan spirit.
This will be the 29th consecutive year that the Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival has been held. Originally initiated by the private sector, the event was later taken over by the Taipei City Government. It has subsequently grown larger and attracted more and more participants each year, and Premier Lin expressed gratitude to the Taipei City Government for its efforts in preserving and promoting Hakka culture.