TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) promoted the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival (台北年貨大街) at Dihua Street (迪化街), a historic commercial district, on Tuesday (Feb. 3). He unveiled a grand prize worth millions of New Taiwan dollars to attract crowds. Chiang joked about his growing family, saying even if he has a fourth child, he might not win the grand prize. The festival is a major annual shopping event ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
Mayor Chiang invited British Office in Taipei Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones to experience her first Lunar New Year in Taiwan. Together, they distributed "Fortune money" (發財金), a traditional gift symbolizing prosperity, to attendees. Bradley-Jones impressed the crowd with her fluent Taiwanese, wishing everyone good luck in the Year of the Horse and full pockets from enjoying good tea. The event highlighted Taiwan's cultural traditions and international diplomatic ties.
Chiang highlighted Bradley-Jones' first Lunar New Year in Taiwan as an opportunity for her to enjoy local delicacies and festive goods. He hoped she would encourage more British and international friends to experience Taipei's unique New Year traditions. The diplomatic engagement follows Chiang's busy schedule, including attending a breakfast meeting at the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan last week. Chiang also plans to sign an agreement with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳). ◼