Get up close to alpacas and climb the Tree of Eternal Life – Yilan Green Expo blends creativity and healthy living!

Reported by Lin Yuling / Yilan

Busy modern people often turn to nightclubs, KTVs, and other sensory entertainment venues to relieve stress, forgetting the most basic health needs of being human. In fact, simply connecting with the three elements of sunlight, air, and water, as well as bonding with the "earth," can bring the most primal joy. The "Yilan Green Expo," now in its 14th consecutive year, uses numerous designs and creative elements in 2013 to invite everyone into the world of healthy living. This year, it also features alpacas for the first time, allowing both children and adults to interact with these adorable creatures.

▲ The entrance gate of the Green Expo is designed like a giant camera, with visitors having to walk through a long lens to enter. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)

The 2013 "Yilan Green Expo" was held from March 30 to May 19 at the Wushikan Scenic Area. The entire exhibition area and theme revolve around caring for the land, environmental protection, organic farmland, and healthy living, while incorporating many design elements that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the world of healthy living as they enjoy the creativity. For example, the entrance gate is designed like a giant camera, and visitors must walk through a long lens to enter the park. It symbolizes capturing beautiful memories of the Green Expo journey through photos; it also symbolizes leaving behind the hustle and bustle after passing through the Xueshan Tunnel to enjoy Yilan’s vast green fields, farmlands, and clear blue skies.

▲ The organic farmland displayed at the Green Expo is also the result of passionate farmers’ hard work, all aimed at providing more people with healthy food and sustaining future generations. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)

All the installation artworks in the park are made from "recycled waste." For instance, stacked recycled shipping containers form an evergreen, fantastical "Tree of Eternal Life," conveying the Green Expo’s sustainable philosophy of taking root in Yilan and flourishing endlessly. Climbing the Tree of Eternal Life offers a bird’s-eye view of the entire park, showcasing mini versions of Yilan’s 13 townships, including a miniature Luodong Bridge and a Sanxing scallion seesaw.

There are also many wooden carvings and structures made from driftwood, including some fragrant cedar wood, allowing visitors strolling through to realize: "We don’t need to import high-end fragrances from abroad—this land of Taiwan already holds such wonderful treasures. We just need everyone to protect and cherish them together!"

▲ Carvings made from scrap wood emit the natural scent of cedar, and the park also incorporates traditional games. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)

Adorably comical-looking alpacas make their first appearance in the Green Expo, along with miniature horses, sulcata tortoises, and cute lambs, chicks, and ducklings for grassy playtime. However, it’s worth noting that before parents bring their children close to the animals, it’s a good idea to do some homework in advance and use the opportunity for life education on-site, teaching kids the right attitude and way to treat animals and cherish life without causing them stress—so the alpacas don’t get upset and spit at you!

▲ An alpaca yawning. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)

▲ The "Tree of Eternal Life" is stacked from recycled shipping containers, featuring a whimsical and childlike style, and climbing it allows you to overlook mini versions of Yilan’s 13 townships designed within the park. (Photo / Reporter Lin Yuling)