"Popular Parks Awards" Kicks Off: Vote for the Most Beautiful Urban Leisure Spaces

▲Parks in the city provide residents with a place of rest amid the hustle and bustle; the photo shows Banqiao Wanping Park. (Photo provided by the New Taipei City Agriculture Bureau)

Travel Center / Taipei Report

Parks in the city not only play a vital role in regulating the urban "breathing," but also serve as public spaces for residents' daily leisure life. The Agriculture Bureau of New Taipei City Government has launched the "Popular Parks Awards" voting campaign, running from May 20 to June 20, 2013 (102 year in Taiwan calendar), for a period of one month. Citizens are invited to join in discovering the beauty of parks and vote for the most "awesome" popular park in New Taipei City.

Agriculture Bureau Chief Liao Rong-ching stated that New Taipei City covers a vast area with nearly 400 parks. This "New Taipei City Popular Parks Awards" voting campaign not only allows the public to personally experience the beauty of the city’s parks, but also thoughtfully introduces 20 featured parks and one-day tour routes, providing great information for “eating, drinking, playing, and fun” across New Taipei City, enabling deeper exploration of the area.

The 20 parks selected for voting are paired with nearby featured attractions. Each district office first screened distinctive parks within their jurisdiction and planned one-day tour routes to apply for the competition. Eventually, 20 featured parks and one-day tour itineraries were chosen, including diverse and enriching options such as ecology, art, culture, religion, historical sites, food, sports, and hiking — all great destinations for leisure travel.


▲"Tucheng Tung Blossom Park" in May, when the hills are covered in tung blossoms. (Photo provided by the New Taipei City Agriculture Bureau)

May is the peak season for tung blossoms — a perfect time for a journey of spiritual cleansing. Start your morning in the sunrise light with a visit to the renowned Chengtian Temple. From there, you can not only overlook the bustling urban landscape of Greater Taipei, but also admire the romantic scenery of white tung blossoms covering the hills like spring snow. Then take a stroll along the interconnected forest trails, enjoying the natural forest phytoncides while listening to the symphony of frogs and birdsongs. At this moment, petals as white as snow gently drift down with the breeze, forming a white carpet that leads all the way to Tucheng Tung Blossom Park. By lunchtime, there are plenty of restaurants around Chengtian Road where you can take a break and fill your stomach, while also sampling many local specialties. When night falls, groups of fireflies twinkle like little sprites, decorating the dark park like a midsummer Christmas tree. Paired with the archway inscribed with the phrase “Tung blossoms flutter white upon the hills, firefly lights twinkle like stars,” it perfectly captures the essence of Tucheng Tung Blossom Park.

(For detailed event information, please visit the New Taipei City Government Agriculture Bureau website or the “New Taipei City Popular Parks Awards” event page.)