TAINAN MASCOT "HĀNG-Á NIAU" TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN SHINJUKU, TOKYO

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- As the Tainan 400 promotion campaign comes to a conclusion, a commercial featuring Tainan’s adorable mascot “Hāng-á Niau” (Taiwanese for “Alley Cat”), is being aired on the bustling streets of Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan.

The cute mascot can be seen in the promotional video “Hāng-á Niau Invites You to Tainan” from Sept 21 to 27 at YUNIKA VISION in front of Seibu-Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, one of the busiest stations in Japan with a daily traffic of 770,000 passengers on average.

According to a statement, the mascot “Hāng-á Niau” takes after the legendary creature qilin, with a lightning pattern on its tail to symbolise good luck, and the design is inspired by the rat-catching cats kept on trading ships during the Age of Discovery.

The origin not only echoes the historical significance of Tainan 400, but also highlights the cultural inclusiveness of that time.

In addition, the patterns on “Hāng-á Niau” also incorporate Tainan’s unique architectural characteristics and historical contexts.

The “Tainan 400” promo video broadcast was previously aired by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government from Aug 13 to 18, in the centre of Paris (France), Times Square in New York City (United States of America), and New Balance Gangnam in Seoul (South Korea).

This time, the mascot is taking centre stage in Japan, which is guaranteed to attract more international tourists to Tainan and experience its profound culture.

-- BERNAMA