The 2009 CowParade Taipei officially opened yesterday, with 107 uniquely designed renditions of the popular bovine spread throughout the city.

Taipei was selected as the 65th city to host the CowParade, an international public art event that has featured over 5,000 life-size fiberglass oxen and cows by more than 10,000 artists worldwide since 1999.

“CowParade is known today to certainly over half a billion people in this world,” noted Jerry D. Elbaum, president of Connecticut-based CowParade Holdings Corporation. “It is a wonderful privilege for us at CowParade to able to add to that number the 23 million people of Taiwan.”

“The artists in this city and this country have outdone most of the artists in the rest of the world,” continued Elbaum, who was in Taipei to attend the event's opening ceremony at Xinyi District's New Life Square. “This is an extraordinary exhibit and you are most fortunate in Taipei and in Taiwan to have this event.”

“This CowParade holds a special significance because not only are we celebrating its 10th anniversary, but this year also coincides with the Year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar,” said Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin, who was also at hand for the ceremony.

The cow is a symbol of good fortune throughout the world, noted Hau. “With this exhibition, we hope everyone can get a chance to touch the cows, to bring them good luck,” the mayor added.

To commemorate the occasion, the event will be held alongside the Taipei Lantern Festival, making it the largest in scale in the Asia-Pacific region, noted Jonathon Chen, creator and chief executive officer of Fun Capital International Co. Ltd, organizer of the event.

Taipei is also host to the largest cow in the event's history, “Peaceful Cow” by Tseng Hui-chuan, as well as the highest cow on display on the 89th floor of Taipei 101, “Ben” by Yao Chen-chung, and the only martial arts cow in the world, Lee Chi-ching's “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,” said Chen. “This will definitely be the most mesmerizing CowParade.”

There is even a design by famous Hong Kong actor and singer Andy Lau, whose “Andy Lau Dot Cow” is on display at the Xiangti Boulevard Plaza of Xinyi District.

“Even though CowParade is a major international event, it nevertheless reinforces our local culture and art here in Taiwan,” said Pi-twan Huang, minister of Taiwan's Council for Cultural Affairs.

The cows are on display in Taipei through March 31 in several locations throughout the city, including Huashan Culture Park, Civic Plaza by Taipei City Hall, the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101, the Pacific Sogo Department Store's Zhongxiao and Fuxing branches, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Stores in Xinyi District, and Eslite Bookstore's Dunhua and Xinyi locations.

As is customary with the event, a live auction will be held at the end of the public display, with a substantial portion of proceeds going to local charitable organizations.

The auction will take place in April, after which the CowParade will move to central Taichung where it will be held between May and June, and conclude its Taiwan tour in southern Kaohsiung with a public display from July to August.

More information on the 2009 CowParade Taipei is available at the event's Web site: www.cowparade-taipei.com.