Chiayi Lantern Festival pioneers "beep economy," mobile payments make touring easy

In line with the "Digital Nation, Innovative Economy Development Plan" set by the Executive Yuan, the National Development Council held the "One Device in Hand, LOHAS Taiwan, Mobile Achievements Presentation" on the afternoon of January 8 at the Sheraton Taipei Hotel, unveiling the results contributed by alliances across Taiwan's technology-related industry upstream and downstream. Chiayi County Magistrate Zhang Huaguan also attended to explain how "2018 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi" would apply technology to present the Taiwan Lantern Festival with a height and vision unlike before, and personally operated the lantern festival's mobile payment vending machine on site; the convenient shopping process left everyone watching amazed.

"2018 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi" introduced multiple payments for the first time as a payment method for the souvenir and food areas, creating a high-quality cashless market in the technology lantern zone. In this market, only mobile payments, electronic tickets, or credit cards could be used. This was also the first time the Taiwan Lantern Festival featured four electronic ticket providers (EasyCard, iPASS, icash, and Far Eastern's happy cash) cooperating and appearing together, and it also introduced multiple electronic wallets, including Chunghwa Telecom's hami wallet, allowing the public to easily tour the lantern festival with just one device or one card in hand.

Chiayi County Magistrate Zhang Huaguan stated that "2018 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi" combined Chiayi's local people, culture, land, products, and scenery characteristics, using brand-new methods and technologies to enhance artistic creation and add value to the lantern festival, establishing a new model for the Taiwan Lantern Festival, letting everyone see that Chiayi County is not just an agricultural county, but an emerging city that has been realizing the integration of tradition and modernity.