Top 10 Most Searched Cherry Blossom Spots: Taichung’s “Murky Water Lane” Ranks No. 1, Beating Yangmingshan Flower Season

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Cherry blossom seasons are blooming one after another across Taiwan. Portal site Yahoo Kimo has released the “2014 Top 10 Most Searched Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots,” and the results are surprisingly in favor of Taichung’s Dakei Murky Water Lane, a previously lesser-known “hidden gem,” which claimed the top spot. It beat out traditional hotspots such as Yangmingshan and Miaoli’s Nanzhuang, becoming the new favorite among netizens.

▲ Pink cherry blossoms blanket the hillsides of Taichung’s Dakei Murky Water Lane. (Photo / Screenshot from the internet, archival image)

Ranked No. 1, “Taichung’s Murky Water Lane” saw its monthly search volume skyrocket nearly 280,000 times. Originally private property, the landowner has offered free public access since 2012. The park is home to up to 5,000 cherry blossom trees, offering sweeping views of vast pink and peach-hued blossoms. Notably, the owner ties poetic and thematic notes to the trees, and after media coverage, it has become a new pilgrimage site for cherry blossom enthusiasts.

▲ Yoshino cherry blossoms in full bloom at Yangmingshan. (Photo / Fromthe Yangmingshan Flower Season Facebook fan page))

Yahoo Kimo stated that spots ranked 2nd to 10th are, in order: Tucheng’s Taiji Ridge, Nantou’s Shima Park, Taichung’s Xinshe, Miaoli’s Nanzhuang, Changhua’s Cherry Blossom Viewing, Yangmingshan’s Pingdingshi, Taichung’s Tai’an, the Yangmingshan Flower Season, and Hsinchu’s cherry blossoms.

Taiwan’s cherry blossom season kicks off in March. Among the top 10 most searched cherry blossom spots, eight are promoted by county and city governments, many of which have official cherry blossom viewing websites providing bloom forecasts and transportation information. The public is encouraged to make use of these resources. (News source: Central News Agency)