AIT's new director Gu Lidan follows customs, leads green offering for stability.

The seventh month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as Ghost Month, is also the traditional season of the Zhongyuan Pudu festival in Taiwanese folklore. During this traditional month when households, agencies, and organizations across all sectors prepare lavish offerings to worship wandering spirits and pray for peace and prosperity, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), located in Taipei's Neihu District, was permeated with a localized cultural atmosphere. AIT announced via its official social media platforms and press release on the 27th that this year, newly appointed Director Raymond Greene personally led team members in following Taiwanese folk customs to offer sincere prayers and pour wine during a Zhongyuan Pudu ceremony, demonstrating profound respect and a high degree of integration into local Taiwanese culture.

In this Zhongyuan Pudu ritual, which holds deep significance for Taiwan-U.S. exchanges, the most eye-catching focus was the selection of offerings placed on the altar table. In addition to a variety of common traditional Pudu offerings and fruits native to Taiwan, AIT specially prepared "Kuai Kuai," a national snack deeply embedded in Taiwan's tech sector and government agency meme culture. What made it even more special was that the version placed on the table was not the commonly seen green packaging, but the special, seasonal September 3rd Armed Forces Day limited-edition green Kuai Kuai. This thoughtful arrangement not only demonstrated the U.S. side's meticulous observation of local Taiwanese culture but also cleverly incorporated the metaphysical humor deeply believed in by Taiwanese society, symbolizing an auspicious wish for system stability and smooth operations.

AIT subsequently published a post and photos on its official Facebook fan page, extending sincere festive greetings to the Taiwanese public. AIT officially stated that its close connection with Taiwan is by no means limited to official work, economic and trade exchanges, or security cooperation and other serious fields; rather, it is deeply rooted in daily life, through experiencing deeply and cherishing the rich cultural traditions possessed by Taiwanese society. By participating in local folk customs carrying such strong regional color as the Zhongyuan Pudu, AIT once again conveyed its warmest regards to the people of Taiwan, wishing all Taiwanese friends a safe, smooth, and auspicious Zhongyuan Festival.

In recent years, AIT officials stationed in Taiwan have repeatedly generated buzz regarding their integration into local Taiwanese culture, displaying a high degree of approachability and cultural soft power. From former Directors Brent Christensen and William Stanton to current Director Raymond Greene, successive AIT leaders have actively stepped into Taiwanese society. Whether participating in Mazu pilgrimages, sampling Taiwanese night market snacks, or this recent Pudu ritual personally led by Raymond Greene and his team, it repeatedly proves that the substantive relations between Taiwan and the U.S. have long transcended cold official paperwork and diplomatic rhetoric. Instead, they are built upon a solid foundation of mutual understanding among the people and mutual appreciation of culture. This approach of using soft culture as a diplomatic bridge often garners strong resonance and positive feedback from grassroots Taiwanese people.

From a deeper strategic and diplomatic perspective, AIT's approach of closing the distance with the public through participation in traditional Taiwanese festivals is actually a crucial component of contemporary public diplomacy. Amid high global geopolitical tensions and intense international concern over Taiwan Strait security, U.S. high-ranking officials convey a clear message to the outside world through grounded cultural participation: the United States not only firmly supports Taiwan in strategy and security, but also stands with the people of Taiwan in lifestyle, cultural values, and social sentiment. This delicate and deeply resonant form of exchange not only consolidates the rock-solid Taiwan-U.S. partnership, but also lays a more robust foundation of public opinion for democratic alliances in the Indo-Pacific region.