Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the "2026 Creative Expo Taiwan" Cultural Curation came to a brilliant close yesterday (31st) after a month. The Ministry of Culture stated that this year’s expo was held across two main venues: the Cultural Curation at the Kong Zong Cultural Base (referred to as "Kong Zong") and the Creative Brands at the Taipei Nankang Exhibition Center. Featuring the Kong Zong Cultural Base Heritage Building—newly restored and opened to the public for the first time—the event pioneered a model that integrated curatorial showcases with curated product sales. Meanwhile, the brand exhibition section encompassed the "IP-STAR POP PARK | Fantasy Star Theater," hosting over 1,300 booths, more than 910 brands, and generating NT$1.65 billion in trade transactions. Together, the two venues attracted over 670,000 visitors, breaking historical records in both attendance and commercial output, demonstrating the vast potential of Taiwan's creative industries and injecting fresh energy into the transformed site.

The brand exhibition section encompassed the "IP-STAR POP PARK | Fantasy Star Theater," hosting over 1,300 booths, more than 910 brands, and generating NT$1.65 billion in trade transactions.

Centered on the theme "Bit Zero," the expo addressed the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), prompting humanity to rethink the essence of creativity. From cultural curation, local product selections, and contemporary crafts to commercial brand exhibitions, the annual theme explored the irreplaceable nature of the "moment of the first thought"—returning to the initial spark before creation occurs. Within the Cultural Curation, the "Wake Up! Awaken Your Senses | Initialize" section unexpectedly drew large crowds of young teenagers whose artistic curiosity is just blossoming, demonstrating the diverse possibilities of original Taiwanese cultural content as it continues to translate, cross domains, and reach the market.

Within the Cultural Curation, the "Wake Up! Awaken Your Senses | Initialize" section unexpectedly drew large crowds of young teenagers whose artistic curiosity is just blossoming.

The Taiwan Selections, "Tomorrow Shop," gathered 235 regional specialties from 22 cities and counties; the National Taiwan Crafts Research and Development Institute assembled over 200 Taiwanese craft products; and the inaugural "Life Supply Lab" market featured specialty drinks, local teas, light bites, lifestyle items, and interactive experiences. The market also featured a weekend-exclusive "City Dessert Culture" initiative, allowing visitors to recharge with local flavors and yielding nearly NT$3 million in total sales during the event. The top three best-selling products at "Tomorrow Shop" were How Many’s Two Kinds of Fish Crisp from Chiayi County, the nodate Juan-Juan Tote from Taipei City, and Joy Joy Golden’s Mullet Roe Rice Cracker from Taichung City.

Centered on the theme "Bit Zero," the expo addressed the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), prompting humanity to rethink the essence of creativity. _1

Reflecting on the Cultural Curation and Creative Brands, the former marked the first major exhibition held in the Heritage Building following its restoration, drawing a record-breaking number of industry professionals. A total of 76 guided tours were held, serving 1,459 participants. Minister of Culture Li Yuan also personally purchased Old Pot Rice Noodle from Hsinchu City and Sunwell Pink Plum Wine from Chiayi County at "Tomorrow Shop," supporting local specialty goods through direct purchases. Meanwhile, the Creative Brands introduced an online reservation system for the first time to manage crowd flow effectively, while the on-site queuing area on the 4th floor became a trending check-in spot on social media. Even with a weekend typhoon, the enthusiasm of the public to visit the expo remained undiminished.

Centered on the theme "Bit Zero," the expo addressed the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), prompting humanity to rethink the essence of creativity. _2

Minister of Culture Li Yuan also personally purchased Old Pot Rice Noodle from Hsinchu City and Sunwell Pink Plum Wine from Chiayi County at "Tomorrow Shop," supporting local specialty goods through direct purchases.

Minister of Culture Li Yuan also personally purchased Old Pot Rice Noodle from Hsinchu City and Sunwell Pink Plum Wine from Chiayi County at "Tomorrow Shop," supporting local specialty goods through direct purchases._1

The Ministry of Culture highlighted that Kong Zong Cultural Base—formerly the Air Force Command Headquarters—has now been transformed into a dynamic cultural space for ongoing exhibitions, artistic creation, and public participation following the completion of historic restoration works. Leveraging the rallying power of Creative Expo Taiwan as a national cultural brand, the event demonstrated the synergistic results of contemporary cultural showcases and the activation of historic architecture. Also housed in the historic building alongside the main expo, "GOOD LUCK! 80 Years Since the End of the War" special exhibition has drawn significant public attention since its opening, featuring immersive spatial recreations of post-air-raid cityscapes and an exhibition zone exploring the Anti-Communist era that invoked shared memories among many visitors. Among the highlights, an interactive installation invited visitors to write or draw what they "most want to protect in daily life," folding them into paper airplanes that flew onto a projected screen to form a collective mosaic of everyday Taiwanese life. Accumulating over 12,000 messages, it allowed individual life memories to become a continuously growing part of the exhibition.

Running concurrently with the expo, the annual cultural festival "2026 Skyward," also held at Kong Zong, proved equally popular with the public. Its “Armed Forces Feature Week,” including Air Force band performances last weekend, dedicated walking tours, and exclusive discounts at the Skyward Station—attracted over 36,000 visits. The Ministry of Culture hopes to enable visitors to approach the historical layers of Kong Zong through various touchpoints, preserving traces of the past while showcasing how a site once tasked with national defense continues to cultivate new cultural landscapes.

Running concurrently with the expo, the annual cultural festival "2026 Skyward," also held at Kong Zong, proved equally popular with the public.

Running concurrently with the expo, the annual cultural festival "2026 Skyward," also held at Kong Zong, proved equally popular with the public._1

Extending its gratitude to everyone who attended and supported the creative industries through their purchases, the Ministry of Culture announced the successful conclusion of the 2026 Creative Expo Taiwan. Next, the "a-We Taiwan Special Exhibition: a~~~Wemoji!" and "Taipei Fashion Week SS27" will take center stage, with various exhibitions, creations, and activities continuing to unfold at the Kong Zong Cultural Base. The Ministry of Culture also announced that next year's Creative Expo Taiwan will return in August, taking place once again across both Kong Zong and Taipei Nankang Exhibition Center.