Is the Mona Lisa made entirely of "mushrooms"? The Taichung Flower Carpet Festival is unbelievable

Tourism Center / Taipei Report

The 2012 Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival and Xinshe Flower Sea will open on November 17 at the Second Farm of the Seedling Farm in Xinshe Township, Taichung City. Now in its 7th year, the Xinshe Flower Sea has innovated this year by ingeniously blending the Goddess Mazu with urban public art, presenting the twin flower carpets themed “Happiness” and “Colorful Butterflies.” The park not only features a Mazu decorated with floral colors, but also a Mona Lisa statue made of “mushrooms.”


▲ The Mona Lisa made of mushrooms is truly astounding. (Photo / from the Facebook page of the Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival)

The entrance feature depicts Taiwan’s sea goddess — a Q-version Mazu decorated with flowers, nearly 5 meters tall, who greets visitors at the entrance of the flower carpet area along with Q-version Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Following Ear. Behind Mazu is a landscape platform that offers the best viewing and photo angles. In addition, the Mona Lisa portrait made of mushrooms is crafted using mushrooms of slightly varying sizes and colors, yet from afar, her expression and posture are incredibly lifelike, truly an eye-opener.

This year’s flower sea event spans a total of 50 hectares, including 1.9 hectares for the 2012 Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival, 35 hectares for the flower sea area, 1.9 hectares for the first Central Taiwan Agricultural Expo and the Greater Taichung Food Area and Agricultural Products Marketing Area, as well as six major exhibition halls: the Flowering Passionflower Hall, the Plum-Orchid-Bamboo-Chrysanthemum Hall, the Century Splendor Hall, the Hello Rural Good Hall, the Forest Life Low-Carbon Hall, and the Life Aesthetics Theme Exhibition Hall. Together they form a grand scenic view in Xinshe Township. The event runs from November 17 (Saturday) to December 16 (Sunday), opening daily from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Planned by the Tourism Bureau, the “2012 Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival” is themed “Colorful Flower Carpets” this year, showcasing a variety of vibrant and beautiful patterns. Among them, the “Twin Flower Carpet Area,” consisting of the “Happiness Flower Carpet” and “Colorful Butterfly Flower Carpet,” uses design motifs such as a heart in hand, pearl milk tea, and the purple crow butterfly to create an overwhelming sense of happiness.


▲ The beautiful flower carpets stretch out, their colorful appearance strikingly eye-catching. (Photo / from the Facebook page of the Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival)


▲ The Q-version Mazu made of flowers is the main icon of this year. (Photo / from the Facebook page of the Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival)

In the interactive area, a heart-shaped tunnel welcomes visitors with blessings for their wishes to come true, alongside a lily-shaped voice tube and a smiling sunflower-shaped interactive design. Visitors can also get cherry blossom-shaped wish cards to write down their wishes and hang them on the cherry blossom wish tree. Additionally, there are two indoor exhibition halls and one windmill flower carpet area themed around “Dancing Lady Orchid (Oncidium),” “Low-Carbon Green Living,” and painted windmills. The entire flower carpet area includes over 18 themed zones, diverse and dazzling, offering more than the eye can take in.

The Tourism Bureau stated that to enhance the viewing experience, the public is encouraged to visit on weekdays or opt for “carpooling.” The Taichung City Government Transportation Bureau provides three free shuttle bus routes departing from downtown Taichung (starting from Fengyuan Railway Station, Dongshi Riverside Park, and Beitun District Taiyuan Road Parking Lot). The shuttles run from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM outbound and from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM inbound, taking passengers directly from the shuttle stops to the flower sea area.