The Taipei Water Department held its inaugural "Endless Flow! 2024 Cypher Tournament" this year, attracting 200 students from hip hop clubs of high schools and universities across the nation to participate. The event drew a large crowd of students to watch live, with Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an joining in the cheers and presenting the "Online Popularity Award" to the National Taiwan University Hip Hop Club. Mayor Chiang commended the creative talents and environmentally conscious attitudes of high school and university hip-hop clubs.
Today, the event began with electrifying warm-up showcases by teams ranked 11th to 20th, featuring talents from National Chengchi University, Kaohsiung Senior High School, Kang Chiao International School Linkou, Ankang High School, Affiliated Zhongli Senior High School of National Central University, Ming Lun High School, Chung Yuan Christian University, Qingshui High School, Zhongshan Girls' High School, Yanping High School, Songshan High School and National Taiwan Normal University. They took turns on stage, dazzling the audience with their performances.
At 4 p.m., the intense showdown of the top 10 teams commenced, with Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an attending to cheer on the students. In a lively opening address, Mayor Chiang noted that the Gongguan Waterfront Plaza, after the restoration and re-use of historical sites combined with riverside bike paths, has become a popular recreational destination for citizens to relax on weekends and holidays. This time, the "Endless Flow! 2024 Cypher Tournament" was specially chosen to be held here, allowing young students to unleash their creativity and showcase their passion for hip-hop. This event is also integrated with environmental sustainability, as students convey their views on protecting the Earth through hip-hop performances, aligning closely with the city government's current initiatives. Distinguished guests, including city councilor Kuo Chao-yan, Taipei City spokesperson Yin Wei, Deputy Secretary-General You Shi-ming, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection Hsu Shih-hsun, Director of the Taipei City Offce of Commerce Kao Chen-yuan and Shuiyuan Borough chief Lin Chuan-yi graced the event with their presence, joining in the hip-hop festivities along the waterfront.
In attendance was also Taipei Water Department Commissioner Fan Huan-ying, who presented each of the top 11 to 20 teams from the online preliminary round with imported premium microphones as an encouragement to continue their song creation endeavors. According to the Taipei Water Department, the true value of the event is in the process itself. The participating teams passionately sang for the Earth, collaboratively crafting compositions on the theme. To nurture the students' creative potential, the organizing unit provided free recording services and rehearsal spaces, ensuring that the students received maximum support and assistance throughout their creative journey. Through this event, the Taipei Water Department deeply appreciated the students' enthusiastic dedication, fostering optimism for the nation's future.
The top 10 teams in the competition include the National Taiwan University, Yuan Ze University, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, National Ilan University, Tunghai University, National Tsing Hua University, Chaoyang University of Technology, National Yilan Senior High School, as well as Chihlee University of Technology and Tamkang University. Additionally, there are two cross-school collaborative teams from Ming Lun High School, Xinzhuang High School and Heping High School. They emerged victorious in the online preliminary round, each receiving a "Creative Incentive Award" of NT$10,000. Today, they stepped onto the final stage with passion, showcasing their professional talents.
The Taipei Water Department explained that this event is not just a competition but also an opportunity for hip-hop school clubs from across the country to exchange and learn from one another. Therefore, they designed an innovative "Inter-Team Peer Voting Award" system, where the top 10 teams vote for each other, selecting the best performing team according to the participants' preferences. This adds a touch of camaraderie to the event, fostering a spirit of mutual respect and creativity amidst the competition and honor.
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