Minghua Garden and 3D street art appear in Beitou: The 2013 Taipei Hot Spring Festival kicks off warmly for National Day

▲ The 3D street art painted by the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism in Xinbeitou showcases the hot spring scenery of Beitou. (Photo / Provided by Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The annual "Taipei Hot Spring Festival" will take place over five days starting from National Day this year (2013) around the Xinzhuang Beitou MRT Station. The Taipei City Government's Department of Information and Tourism has not only invited well-known hot spring regions from Japan to participate in cultural exchanges and used 3D street art to depict the charm of Beitou, but also, for the first time, invited Sun Cuifeng, the lead actress of Minghua Garden Troupe, to star in the play "The Immortal of Penglai," offering a rich variety of activities that invite the public to experience Beitou’s hot springs and cultural heritage.

This year’s "Taipei Hot Spring Festival" embraces creativity, as the Department of Information and Tourism introduces Western street art culture to Beitou. 3D street art features the Beitou Geothermal Valley, the festival mascot — a witch doll, and Japan’s Matsuyama’s Oigami Bridge, among other sights, presenting an authentic taste of Beitou’s culture. Sun Cuifeng, hailed by the media as the “invincible young leading man,” has also been invited this year to lead the Minghua Garden Taiwanese Opera troupe in performing "The Immortal of Penglai" in Beitou, adding a new highlight to the festival.

▲ (Left image) Landmarks in Beitou such as the Beitou Hot Spring Museum and Beitou Public Library (right image) will extend their opening hours until 9 PM on the 12th. (Left image / From Taipei City Tourism Bureau’s Taipei Travel Net, right image / From the Taipei City Government website)

International exchange is also a key focus of this year’s hot spring festival. The Department of Information and Tourism has expanded its scale this year, inviting well-known hot spring cities from Japan to participate, including Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture; Tamatsukuri Onsen in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture; Gensenji Onsen in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture; and Yufuin Onsen in Oita Prefecture, bringing a diverse international flavor to the festival.

In addition, to allow visitors to better explore Beitou, in addition to arranging free hot spring shuttle buses, sites normally open only until 5 PM — including Beitou Meiting, Beitou Hot Spring Museum, Beitou Public Library, Beitou Civic Center, and the Ketagalan Cultural Center — will extend their opening hours until 9 PM on the 12th (Saturday), giving tourists ample time to discover Beitou’s rich tourism resources, including ecology, culture, history, and landscape.