What to do in Hualien this summer? Join the Amis Harvest Festival and admire the golden daylily sea on Chikuo Mountain

▲Join the Amis Harvest Festival in Hualien, dance and celebrate together with us!(Photo provided by Yuli Township Office, photographed by Lin Min-jung)

By Reporter Tsai Wen-jun / Comprehensive report

With summer vacation here, what’s fun to do in Hualien, blessed with stunning mountains and waters? To promote tribal tourism and boost the development of tourism in indigenous areas, the Yuli Township Office in Hualien County has specially designed a series of tribal mini-travel activities this summer from July 29 to August 27 every weekend (excluding August 5 and 8/6), combining tribal Harvest Festivals. A total of six types of itineraries across nine sessions aim to offer everyone a unique “indigenous”-flavored summer vacation.

The indigenous people of Yuli Township in Hualien County are mainly Amis, and the Harvest Festival (Ilisin) is the annual highlight for the Amis. Every July and August, the Amis follow their ancestors’ traditions to hold the Harvest Festival, giving thanks to the gods for blessings and a bountiful harvest. The festival ceremony involves many taboos, which are rarely known to outsiders, thus adding a layer of mystery.

▲Every year, the golden daylily sea on Chikuo Mountain is a major tourism event in Hualien (Photo provided by Yuli Township Office)

Building on the great reputation of last year’s tribal mini-travel events, the Yuli Township Office has planned six types of itineraries across nine sessions this year. In addition to participating in traditional tribal festivals, dancing with the locals, tasting indigenous cuisine, and experiencing indigenous archery and fishing skills, visitors will also be taken to see Taiwan’s only “Pebble Art” and the country’s first “Taiwan Black Bear Education Center,” as well as Asia’s only and one of only two world-class tectonic geological landscapes in the world—the Bridge of Love—and the captivating beauty of the daylily sea.

▲Golden daylily sea on Chikuo Mountain (Photo provided by Yuli Township Office)

The six itineraries include the July 29 “Stone Slate Art Village” mini-travel to the Badarialan Tribe, the August 12 “Original Dance Shakes the Pebbles – Singing the Love of the Valley” joint Harvest Festival tribal mini-travel, the August 13 “Sea and Land Double Thrills, Original Flavor” archery and fishing fun, the August 26 “Canvas of the Earth” mini-travel to the Mataring Ilisin Tribe, and the July 30, August 13, 20, and 27 Golden Daylily Sea Memory Tours. This rich selection of tribal tours combines tribal celebrations with natural landscapes, aiming to let visitors feel the optimistic and open-minded sentiments conveyed through the uplifting songs of the indigenous people. It offers an in-depth, slow-paced, and leisurely shared lifestyle journey with the tribe.

Yuli Township Mayor Gong Wen-jun stated that this is the second year the tribal mini-travel program is being held, with six types of itineraries designed not only to allow visitors to experience indigenous culture and warmth but also to take them to Chikuo Mountain, famous for its golden daylily sea, to enjoy its charm. Each session has a limit of 80 participants. For details, visit the official website of Yuli Township Office in Hualien County:http://www.hlyl.gov.tw/home.phpfor more information.