The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) has organized the "2024 Lunar New Year Goodwill Mission- Asia Tour" performance group to celebrate the Lunar New Year with overseas compatriots in Asia. The internationally renowned Formosa Melody Music Center (FMMC) will lead the Mission, which will perform in the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand from February 23rd to March 17th. As a warm-up for the tour, the OCAC jointly organized a kick off performance and flag-presenting ceremony with Yilan County Government in the evening of February 3rd. A total of 630 Yilan locals enjoyed the splendid and high-quality performances of FMMC, the show was well received and greeted with constant and enthusiastic applause.

Before the performance began, OCAC Deputy Minister Ruan Jhao-syong hosted the flag-presenting ceremony and handed over the OCAC flag, symbolizing the im-portance of the Mission, to Li Chien-hsing, the group leader and the CEO of FMMC. He energetically waved the flag and wished the tour every success in advance, look-ing forward to letting the world see Taiwan's exuberant cultural vitality again.

Deputy Minister Ruan said that the cultural missions organized by the OCAC annual-ly are loved by overseas compatriots worldwide and are highly anticipated. FMMC, deeply rooted in Yilan, is a great source of pride for local people; in recent years, it has also frequently featured in OCAC overseas cultural missions and has become the glory of Taiwan. It can be expected that this tour will once again surprise and excite over-seas compatriots, he said. In close, he extended advance Lunar New Year greetings and wished everyone good luck in the Year of the Dragon.

With the theme of "Passion from Taiwan," this performance combines with the sym-bolic figure of the Nian Beast (the New Year Monster) to display the characteristics of environmental theater and features interaction with the audience, enhancing their viewing experience. The cultural creativity and festive elements from Taiwan in the performance aim to evoke memories of their homeland among overseas compatriots, fostering a joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year together.

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