TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan has started promoting its cultural heritage on a Times Square billboard in New York City, on Monday (Aug. 12). 

The 15-second advertisement will run for seven days. The video features iconic Taiwanese traditions like the Centipede Procession and the Wang Yeh Boat-burning Festival, as well as historical Tainan landmarks such as the Confucius Temple, Hayashi Department Store, and fan-shaped salt fields, per CNA.

Tainan officials hope the Times Square billboard ad will draw international tourists. The advertisement highlights the city's historical role in global development. 

With millions of tourists visiting Times Square annually, the Tainan video offers a distinctive look at the city's history and traditions.

Both Tainan and New York share a common 17th-century history tied to Dutch colonization. In 1624, the Dutch established a trading post on Governors Island in New York, while simultaneously building Fort Zeelandia in Tainan's Anping District.

These early settlements marked the beginning of both cities' significant roles in the Age of Exploration.