May 1st is celebrated for a number of reasons across many cultures around the world. For the folks in Taiwan it’s “Labor Day” and in much the same way as in the US everyone gets a day off. The owners of the Queen Long Marine yard, which is exclusively dedicated to the production of Hylas Yachts, decided to make this year a little special. As a token of the appreciation the owners of the yard have for their employees they decided to open the yard for an evening of family celebration with invitations being extended to the families of all staff members at every level.
At 4pm to start the proceedings off the company President, Joseph Huang and his wife and Vice President, Jane Cheng gave a short welcome address and took a moment to thank the staff for their efforts and continued support. In Taiwan the Pineapple has a special significance representing prosperity and continued success. As a small gift each employee was presented with a pineapple.
Anyone who has visited Taiwan, and certainly all the Hylas owners that have been to the factory during the build process, will know that “night markets” are where the Taiwanese like to go to socialize and enjoy a vast array of delicious delicacies . These are sold from stalls and cooking barrows. Some get a reputation that will draw hungry locals miles to find their favorite morsels prepared by very specific street vendors. To the western palette some of these treats may seem a little unusual but try them you must if you are fortunate enough to visit the factory.
On this occasion the Queen Long Yard became host to their very own “night market”. Vendors began to arrive with stalls and barrows were set up in the yard next to the 60 foot test tank they have for the yachts. This particular evening the tank was the temporary home of a new Hylas M44 power yacht heading for the US in June.
As the crowd began to mingle and explore the delicacies that would be on offer they were joined by a young lady who had been brought in to elevate spirits with a few songs.
As the number of guests and vendors increased it was soon clear that this was going to be a huge success. Hylas CEO Andy Huang reported “Employees, their families and friends were all blown away with the event setup and the variety of food served. Kids were running around, and people got to meet each other’s friends and families”. Vice President Jane Cheng added “An engineer brought his mom, who I hadn’t seen in years. It was so good to see her and catch up in person. It is so important to build relationships with co workers. This turned out to be a great way to say thank you to the staff, meet some of their families and as importantly give the staff an opportunity to get to know each other better and make some new friends”
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