Fairy-tale beauty     The Xinshe Flower Sea and International Floral Carpet Festival make their grand debut

▲ The 2013 Xinshe Flower Sea and Taichung International Floral Carpet Festival launch together. (Photo / Courtesy of2013 Taichung International Floral Carpet Festival - Aiyu Flower Realm Facebook fan page)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The Xinshe Flower Sea and International Floral Carpet Festival in Taichung opened on the 9th, drawing nearly 160,000 visitors on the first day to enjoy the flowers. In addition to the renowned “Xinshe Flower Sea,” this year’s floral carpet festival has designed three major themed “floral carpets.” The five-story-tall “Magic Castle” stole the show, with many people exclaiming that entering the exhibition felt as enchanting as the fairy tale world of Alice in Wonderland.

▲ A large crowd of visitors flocks to the Xinshe Flower Sea to admire the blossoms. (Photo / Courtesy of 2013 Taichung International Floral Carpet Festival - Aiyu Flower Realm Facebook fan page)

The Council of Agriculture and the Taichung City Government have combined the flower sea and floral carpet into one event, which will run until December 8. Visitors can not only admire the blooming flowers of the Xinshe Flower Sea but also experience up close the three large 3D floral carpets launched under the festival’s theme “Aiyu Flower Realm”: “Pink Rabbit,” “Magic Castle,” and “Mountain Cherry Blossom Carpet.” This year, elements from the movie *Life of Pi* have been specially incorporated, featuring a Bengal tiger floating on the sea of flowers.

The event site includes an agricultural products sales area where visitors can sample and purchase local specialties at various stalls. In conjunction with the floral carpet festival, Chunghwa Post Taichung Branch has launched 10 commemorative envelopes and postmarks for the first time. These are available free of charge on holidays during the event period, limited to 400 sets.

▲ The 2013 Xinshe Flower Sea and International Floral Carpet Festival. (Photo / Courtesy ofTaichung Tourism Network Facebook fan page)
The Tourism Bureau pointed out that last year the event attracted over 1.83 million visitors, and this year the number is expected to reach 2 million. Due to the large number of flower-viewing visitors, the city government advises the public to visit on weekdays to avoid traffic congestion. The city government has also introduced three free holiday shuttle bus routes, departing from the Fengyuan Railway Station, Dongshi Riverside Park, and the Beitun District Taiyuan Road Parking Lot, with buses running approximately every 20 minutes.