After extending his term for another year this summer, Representative Martin Podstavek of the Slovak Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei revisited Tainan’s Zuojhen on Nov. 6 with the picture book《斯洛伐克百年老市集》(“A Hundred-Year Market in Slovakia”). This is his wife Chen Liang Podstavek’s first picture book. The Representative shared wonderful stories and the culture of Slovakia with the local children at Zuojhen Library. Wearing a “Thank You Slovakia” face mask for the occasion, Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che welcomed the Podstaveks in person.
Mayor Huang thanked Representative Podstavek and Dr. Chen Liang for keeping their word and taking the time from their busy schedule to revisit Zuojhen. He expressed that these interactions play an important role in the learning process of children as they significantly expand the children's worldview.
On behalf of Tainan, Huang also thanked the Representative and Slovakia for donating vaccines to Taiwan. He remarked that the 160,000 doses of AZ vaccines were like a blessing from the country on the other side of the world. The Mayor looks forward to more interactions between Taiwan and Slovakia in the future and forming strong collaborations in the areas of culture, economy and trade, and agriculture.
Representative Martin Podstavek responded that this is their third visit to Zuojhen Library to read to the children. He is happy to take part in such activities during his term so that the children in both countries can learn more about the world and each other. Podstavek also expressed that children’s literature is only one of the exchanges between Slovakia and Taiwan. In the future, both parties can also explore collaborations in high-tech and economic areas.
In addition to participating in the library reading event, the Representative also attended the 2020 Vurel Kidi night feast event organized by Gongguan Community in Zuojhen to experience the local atmosphere.