“At 15 my heart was set on learning; at 30 I stood firm; at 40 I had no more doubts; at 50 I knew the will of heaven; at 60 my ear was obedient; at 70 I could follow my heart’s desire without overstepping the boundaries of what was right.”– Confucius
My Taipei sojourn is over and I’m back in Hong Kong, my head swirling with wonderful memories of the past few days in the company of the outstanding Ever Rich Duty Free leadership and team.
As mentioned in my last Blog, I was in the Taiwanese capital with my Moodie Davitt STUDIO camera and editing crew, Hainan-based Alexander Roux and Olmo Reverter (Shanghai), to film a video and research a book I am writing to celebrate Ever Rich Duty Free’s 30th anniversary this year.
After all that on-location filming it’s time to kick back with a casual and fun dinner at Super 346 Live House, a great warehouse-style space featuring live music, pub eats and drinks (and a nice bottle of Kavalan Taiwanese single malt whisky at our table). Pictured from left are Olmo Reverter (Moodie Davitt STUDIO); our host, Ever Rich Duty Free Assistant Vice President Michelle Chiang; Maurice, Tommy and Claire Ma from the brilliant Ever Rich Duty Free management team; me and Alexander Roux (Moodie Davitt STUDIO).Ever Rich Duty Free’s outstanding main Terminal 2 store offered a fantastic filming environment
Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2 was the venue for five days of filming and what a fantastic, multi-layered set it provided. Below are some of my favourite images of the week. Look out in September for both film and book, themed ‘Innovating Within’ in line with Ever Rich Duty Free’s anniversary mantra.
Click on the image to read my earlier Blog from Taipei
The words serve both as a reflection on a proud past and the promise of a golden future. And of how Ever Rich Duty Free is indeed, like Confucius, standing firm at 30.
Firm to its values of integrity, professionalism, innovation, commitment to public welfare and dedication to the greater good, as laid out by Founder & Chairman Simon Chiang three decades ago. ✈
This Terminal 2 feature is called Spring Pool Glass Radiant Glasstone Experience Pool. Spring Pool Glass Industrial Co operates Taiwan’s largest waste glass recycling enterprise (100,000 tonnes annually). Ever Rich has partnered with the company in this unique collaboration to highlight sustainability. Spring Pool Glass transforms hazardous glass fragments into safe, radiant glassstone, showcasing Taiwan’s exceptional creativity in and commitment to sustainability. Passengers are invited to step into the pool to experience the stones’ soothing texture and to envisage a sustainable future for the planet. Ever Rich Duty Free President Kevin Chiang looks on amused as I take a dip.There are millions of glasstones in this wondrous featureAnd of course, like any pool, you simply must jump in…… and spring out of. Alas, my technique has definitely deteriorated since my 2021 gold-medal performance in the Quarantine Trampolining final (below) during the pandemic A flashback to August 2021 as a perfectly timed jump from my bed in quarantine room 549 at the Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong almost saw me enter room 649Making films at an airport can be stressful work. But never fear, Taoyuan International Airport knows how to look after its passengers. I will not tell you the result in case my doctor or wife reads this Blog.Next stop is the Formosa Culture Waiting Lounge, where indigenous Hakka and Minnan cultures are highlighted. This is done not by simply showcasing each group’s unique traditions, but instead weaving them together through elements such as tiles and floral fabric to showcase how the convergence and integration of different ethnic groups have shaped Taiwan’s artistic culture.Kevin is a natural on camera, his charm, energy and intelligence shining brightly. As for me, well as my dear old Ma used to say, “Son, you have a face for radio.”
Time now for a more formal sit-down interview with Kevin. But first, there’s the profound challenge of trying to make me camera-ready. I doubt the lovely and talented Vivian has ever worked across such a vast landscape.“We may need more stocks,” she musesWow. The transformation is complete. And for the first time in a long existence on this planet I have discernible eyebrows.
Every good movie needs an outro and mine, as you will see in due course, celebrates both the Ever Rich Duty Free journey to date and the one that lies aheadHello dolly: Movie making on wheels as Alexander films while Olmo does the grunt workTo a man and a woman, the Ever Rich Duty Free Team were a delight to work with. Above I am pictured with Charlene while below Shanny was tasked with removing my by now running make-up.
Several times each day, Ever Rich Duty Free hosts tea-making ceremonies to celebrate Taiwan’s renowned tea culture, to educate guests about the varieties on offer and how to prepare them. I join master teamaker Jin along with my fellow tasters Zoe and Nicky.
I snapped this delightful photo as Olmo was filming a Taiwan tea ball-rolling DIY activity, a popular hit with Taoyuan International Airport passengers, particularly this little girlEver Rich Duty Free has created some brilliant adjacencies between the waiting lounges and the stores. Beast Kingdom (above), for example, merges seamlessly into The Metaverse Waiting Lounge.
My stay in Taiwan is over but before I depart Terminal 1 for Hong Kong, it is time to check out the fantastic destination foods offer
Ever Rich Duty Free’s commitment to society and sustainability is evident right across the airport estateTaiwan’s stunning landscapes are brought to life through a magnificent array of giant photographs in T2
Time to say a fond farewellBut not before a little shopping. With Ever Rich Duty Free, of course.
