From left to right: Tony Coolidge, Shu-min Coolidge, Cho-pei Kao, Wendy Kang and River Ko.

This was our first meeting with a Taiwanese government official. We were scheduled to meet with Minister Tchen Yu-chiou of the Council for Cultural Affairs, Executive Yuan. I was surprised the beautiful and formal appearance of the surroundings. We were in a very tall, modern building in downtown Taipei. and were greeted by Miss Cho-Pei Kao.

Wendy, again, did a great job of setting up a meeting with an influential person. The minister was a very well-known and respected person in Taiwan and was in charge of one of the largest Taiwanese departments, in terms of resources and influence. We had a half an hour to present our case.

The minister was very cordial and offered her advice and support. She directed us to her branch office in new York City to send our proposals. This department have made many books, television shows and films, many focused on the indigenous culture. The department has many resources for ATAYAL to draw from. However, she did ask us to make sure we weren't duplicating anything that has already been produced. This advice has helped us analyze our approach for our projects to ensure a unique perspective. ATAYAL will be sharing our progress with this department and working towards a beneficial relationship with this respected organization.