Explore famous ancient streets and temples in Tainan during the New Year    "Flower Lanterns and Daffodils Exhibition" held on Shennong Street

Reported by Reporter You t
ru / Comprehensive Report

The 2014 Flower Lanterns and Daffodils Exhibition New Year event, now in its third consecutive year, will be held on Shennong Street in Tainan City. From today until February 17, traditional lanterns will be displayed as part of an art lantern-themed exhibition on Shennong Street, jointly promoting tourism activities in Tainan City. This year’s theme, “Sea Country Western Breeze Immortal Mansion,” is derived from a combination of the names of Hai’an Road, Guohua Street, Ximen Road, Fengshen Temple, Shennong Street, Shuixian Palace ’and Fufront Road, symbolizing that the series of art lantern events covers famous ancient streets and temples in the West and Central Districts. The annual event features a rich and diverse range of cultural activities, making it well worth experiencing during the New Year holiday.


▲The 2014 Flower Lanterns and Daffodils Exhibition New Year event, now in its third consecutive year, will be held on Shennong Street in Tainan City. (Photo / Provided by the organizer)

“Sea Country Western Breeze Immortal Mansion”: On February 2 (the third day of the Lunar New Year) and February 3 (the fourth day), during the New Year period, a “Daffodil Carving Performance” will be held from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm in the first-floor lobby of the Tainan Grand Formosa Regent Hotel. Carving experts will be invited to demonstrate the process of growing daffodils in water until they bloom. In earlier times, the custom of giving daffodils during the New Year was a way to wish family and friends good fortune and success in the new year, and daffodil flower gatherings were held in front of temples during the Lantern Festival. The hotel has preserved this fine tradition in Tainan’s historic city.


▲This year’s theme, “Sea Country Western Breeze Immortal Mansion,” is derived from a combination of the names of Hai’an Road, Guohua Street, Ximen Road, Fengshen Temple, Shennong Street, Shuixian Palace and Fufront Road. (Photo / Provided by the organizer)

On February 9 (Sunday) from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm, the “Calligraphy and Lantern-Giving” event will invite the “Tainan Calligraphers Association,” led by Chairman Yang Yuxiu, along with five renowned calligraphers—Wu Wenkai, Lin Yuxian, Zhang Junrong, and Zheng Youmao—to create festive lanterns with calligraphy at Fengshen Temple. A limited number of lanterns will be given free of charge to attendees. Prior to the event, the lantern-donating organization “Quanzhou Overseas Chinese Federation” will join VIPs in celebrating the opening with drum performances. Don’t miss your chance to get a calligraphy-decorated lantern.

On February 14 (Friday) at 7:00 pm, the “Lantern Riddle Guessing” event will serve as the grand finale of the New Year celebration. Guessing lantern riddles is a traditional folk activity during the Lantern Festival. It extends the beauty of language through the meanings of the riddles themselves, allowing participants to appreciate the linguistic “polysemy” and enjoy the fun of solving them while praying for good luck. This year, the “Tainan Riddle Studies Research Association” has creatively crafted a hundred riddles. On the evening of the event at Jinhua Mansion, visitors can flex their minds, and prizes will be awarded to those who guess the answers correctly.

In addition, the hotel will offer a “Five Ports Spring Tour” guided tour service every day from January 31 to February 4, and on February 8 and 9, from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The tour will take participants to explore the historical stories of the Five Ports area. Reservations can be made one hour before the tour at the 1F Service Center of the Tainan Grand Formosa Regent Hotel. Participants can then join the event on Shennong Street. The fee is 200 NTD per person per session.