Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

To celebrate the first day of business after the Lunar New Year break and to welcome the God of Wealth, city officials and merchants organized a grand Kai-shi (market-opening) ceremony at the Guanghua Digital Plaza on February 18. During the ceremony, the mayor made his New Year’s resolution – hoping not only that the Guanghua Digital Plaza would one day surpass Japan’s Akihabara, but also that Akihabara would inspire to become Taiwan’s Guanghua Digital Plaza. Dignitaries attending the event include Guanghua Digital Plaza Development Association Chairman Ko Jui-tai, Guanghua Digital Plaza Self-governance Association Chairman Lin Wen-wei, Xining Market Self-governance Association Chairman Hsu Sheng-jen, and Christine Chen of Microsoft Taiwan. The mayor pointed out that over eight million customers have visited the Guanghua Digital Plaza since its opening in 2008. Despite the recession, market business has seen steady growth in 2009 with the help from both the local government and the private sector. He remarked that many computer companies have chosen Guanghua Digital Plaza as the place to hold press conferences announcing new products. This shows the significance of the market’s role in the marketing of computer products. Hau also called on consumers to support intellectual property rights and purchase genuine copies from software companies.