Xizhou Expo Park’s 123-hectare sea of flowers creates “Changhua’s Fitzroy Gardens”

▲The Xizhou Expo Park area in Changhua County has become the main exhibition zone for this year’s “2014 Flowers in Changhua,” covering a massive 123 hectares. Changhua County Magistrate Cho Po-yuan has named it the “Changhua Fitzroy Gardens” and is committed to making it an international-level garden for the county. (Photo / Courtesy of Changhua County Government official website)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

During Lunar New Year, welcome to Changhua for flower viewing!“2014 Flowers in Changhua” flower festival season has transformed the Xizhou Expo Park area into a vast 123-hectare “Changhua Fitzroy Gardens.” Starting from Lunar New Year’s Day (Jan 31), visitors are invited to come and enjoy the blossoms before the holiday.

Can you enjoy the famous “Fitzroy Gardens” in Taiwan without going to Australia? Starting from Xizhou Expo Park and extending to the Changhua Nursery Garden Area, along with the surrounding flatland forests, the 123-hectare “Changhua Fitzroy Gardens” takes its name from the similarly named “Fitzroy Gardens” in Melbourne, Australia. Changhua County Magistrate Cho Po-yuan mentioned that he and his county government team once visited Melbourne for an inspection and found the local park incredibly beautiful. Therefore, when planning the “2014 Flowers in Changhua,” they used the “Fitzroy Gardens” as a blueprint, hoping to also create an international-level garden in the Xizhou Expo Park area.

▲During the flower season, a handsome mounted police unit will also patrol the three major exhibition areas of the “Changhua Fitzroy Gardens” at irregular times. (Photo / Courtesy of Changhua County Government official website)

Along the “Changhua Fitzroy Gardens,” three scenic landscape points will be set up, featuring white European-style flower stands combined with climbing plants, green spaces, and floral plantings to create a multi-layered space showcasing the style of large European and American parks. The park also includes a 16-meter-wide scenic road, starting from the south gate of the Xizhou Park area, heading east through the afforestation zone’s north-south corridor, passing by a 37-hectare flatland afforestation area, then leading to the nursery area. Trees such as golden shower trees, jacarandas, tabebuias, and somei-yoshino cherry blossoms are planted, allowing visitors to enjoy a colorful floral display all year round.

Cho Po-yuan stated that during the flower season, in addition to walking, the public can also ride bicycles or take free eco-friendly electric shuttle buses to leisurely explore the scenic beauty of the forest area. On the third floor of the viewing platform in the nursery area, there is also a vibrant flower carpet, with the top floor offering a panoramic view of the surrounding scenery. There will also be an artistic floral carriage parade, and the handsome mounted police unit will ride their horses through the three major exhibition areas. Nearby areas such as the “Hometown of Flowers” Tianwei Highway Garden and the “Gourmet Capital” Beidou Town will also serve as activity zones for this year’s “Flowers in Changhua.”

The “2014 Flowers in Changhua” event runs from January 31 to February 9, with park hours daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more details, please visitChanghua County Government Tourism Information Networkfor inquiries.