Cloud Forest Ancient Pit: Tung Blossoms Bloom Early & A Stroll Among April Snow, with the Lingering Fragrance of Coffee

▲ After the “pink explosion,” spring in April is the season for the “April snow” of blooming tung blossoms. The photo shows a schematic of tung blossoms in full bloom. (Photo / fromHakka Tung Blossom Festival fan page)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

After two months of a “pink explosion” from cherry blossoms, one of the stars of the colorful April floral scene is the season when tung blossoms bloom like snowflakes all over the ground. Beating Miaoli to the punch, the tung blossoms in Gukeng Township, Yunlin County, have begun to bloom one after another. The 2014 Yunlin Hakka Tung Blossom Festival also kicked off with a bang at the Tung Blossom Park in Gukeng Township on the 5th.

Mount Hebao in Hebao Village, Gukeng Township, Yunlin County, is the earliest place in Taiwan where tung blossoms bloom, and the blooming period lasts for several weeks. Whether among treetops or along pathways, countless pure white tung blossoms can be seen, fluttering like “April snow” across many corners of Yunlin County.

The “2014 Yunlin Hakka Tung Blossom Festival” also officially launched on the 5th at the Tung Blossom Park in Gukeng Township. Led by Yunlin County Magistrate Su Chih-fen, plates of tung blossoms were scattered into the sky. The sight of the blossoms dancing before your eyes is simply poetic. Many locals also took advantage of the long holiday to visit, and numerous adults and children picked up fallen tung blossoms to arrange them into various patterns, having great fun.

▲ The “2014 Yunlin Hakka Tung Blossom Festival” kicked off on the 5th at the Tung Blossom Park in Gukeng Township, Yunlin County. (Photo / Provided by Yunlin County Government)

Organizers stated that due to recent unstable weather, there were concerns that the tung blossom season might be delayed. However, tung blossoms have recently begun to bloom one after another, and currently about 60% of the tung blossoms in Gukeng Township have bloomed, with the peak season soon to follow. In addition to the “Tung Blossom Avenue” and “Tung Blossom Maze” within the Tung Blossom Park, organizers also recommend visitors enjoy an authentic cup of Gukeng coffee—inhaling the lingering fragrance of coffee while savoring its slightly bitter taste, all as you stroll beneath the tung blossom trees—a truly romantic experience.

The series of activities for the “2014 Yunlin Hakka Tung Blossom Festival” kick off in full swing starting now: from April 5 to 20, for three consecutive Saturdays and Sundays, events will be held grandly at the Tung Blossom Park on Mount Hebao; from April 14 to 17, there will be music festivals at Erhui Elementary School, Hakka folk song performances, and exhibitions by Hakka artisans; on April 26, there will be a Tung Blossom Market at Bei Park, along with tung blossom painting, tung blossom reading, and book-swapping events as part of the Tung Blossom Festival series.