May 1, 2020
On behalf of the World Bamboo Organizationand the 12th WBC International Organizing Committee, we are very sorry to make the decision to postpone the 12th World Bamboo Congress, scheduled for this September in Taoyuan at the National Central University in Taiwan.
We are very sad to realize the covid19 pandemic and chaotic global political reaction prevent us from coming together as planned. As you know, our first conversations with the Taiwan Bamboo Society to host the 12WBC began mid-year 2017, and for over three years we have worked hard together with the Taiwan Bamboo Society, the city of Taoyuan, National Central University, the Forestry Bureau, the Ministry of Culture, the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute and all our partners and sponsors to see this event become a reality. While we know that Taiwan has done an outstanding job in the prevention of the virus in Taiwan, the rest of the world is suffering. We will now need to wait another year. We want to reassure you that we do not intend to cancel the event, but have it happen at a time when more is known about the virus, when it is safe to travel, and the economic situation around the world stabilizes to allow the most people possible to come to Taiwan.
We hope that you will accept our delay in executing the Congress until September 2021, and plan to help make BAMBOO NOW! become a reality. Our team has begun to make the necessary adjustments in our postponement planning.
We are confident that the 12th World Bamboo Congress in Taiwan will happen in 2021 and it will be an amazing, unique event. We look forward to being together with you in Taoyuan.
Sincerely and regrettably,
The 12WBC International Organizing Committee:
~ Susanne Lucas, Michel Abadie, Guillermo Mortera, Nirmala Chongtham, and Tuan Nguyen.
- with the 12WBC National Organizing Committee: ~ Kan Ming Yuan, Lin Chuan-Ya, Tang LiFang, Hsieh Wen Ying, Tsai Mei Wen, Wang Wen Chih
The Taiwan Bamboo Society! Go Bamboo! Go Taiwan! #BambooNow