Lai Ruilong and Ke Zhien shared the stage to promote Qishan Banana and strive to create a new brand in the Banana Kingdom

Democratic Progressive Party Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Lai Ruilong and Kuomintang Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ke Zhien are rarely on the same stage today. This is not to debate, but purely to promote Qishan bananas. Lai Ruilong vowed to let the world see the pride of Kaohsiung's "Golden Banana", while Ke Zhien called for upgrading the "Banana Kingdom" brand.

Lai Ruilong and Ke Zhien appeared at the "2026 Summer Festival Fresh Market: Come to Qishan" held at Qishan Stadium at the same time this morning. It was rare for the two to share the stage, just because of Qishan Banana.

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Lai Ruilong said that Kaohsiung’s banana planting area ranks second in the country, and Qishan is even more familiar as the “City of Bananas.” As of July this year, Kaohsiung’s banana export value has reached nearly 100 million yuan. Thanks to the efforts of Mayor Chen Chimai and the city government team, Kaohsiung’s agricultural products continue to go global.

He praised the innovative spirit of the Qishan Farmers' Association for launching new products such as Golden Jiao Xishi Love Packs and turning bananas into crispy and delicious souvenirs. He also strongly promoted the small farmers market at the Summer Festival Fresh Market, on-site parent-child activities such as rail trains and merry-go-rounds, as well as old street tours and old rice mill movie screenings. He invited the public to seize the opportunity of the continuous holiday. The event will last until September 27, and come to Qishan to sample Golden Jiao and visit the market!

This morning, Ke Zhien went to Qishan Market to sweep the streets before heading to Xiaji Fresh Market. She mentioned that Qishan has been known as the "Kingdom of Bananas" since the 1950s and 1960s. In the past, the stains of banana juice that could not be washed off the work clothes of banana farmers represented the diligence and pride of the local people. Today, Kaohsiung's annual banana output is about 49,000 metric tons, ranking first among the six cities. Farmers' associations and farmers work hard to spread the reputation of Kaohsiung bananas to the world.

She pointed out that Qishan has old streets, sugar iron, rice mills and mountain city scenery. Agriculture cannot work alone. If "agriculture, culture, and tourism" can be deeply integrated, it will not only retain tourists, but also transform agricultural output value into the driving force for local sustainable development. She hopes that through industrial transformation, Kaohsiung's agricultural products will go to the world, and at the same time attract young people to return to their hometowns to start businesses, injecting endless vitality into the local area.