Experience the magical beauty of the pumpkin tunnel – A delightful lakeside mini-trip in a day

Text by / MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Department | Photos provided by / Huang Feng

The "2017 Longfeng Pumpkin Art Festival" in Zaobridge Township, Miaoli County, kicked off with a lively start on June 4th by Longfeng Lake near the Dashan Interchange. Local small-scale farmers were invited to set up stalls, selling a variety of pumpkins and local agricultural specialties, showcasing the unique charm of Zaobridge. The community also created a approximately 250-meter-long pumpkin tunnel by Longfeng Lake, planting a variety of uniquely shaped pumpkins, inviting visitors to taste the pumpkins and enjoy the lake view.

Zaofeng Community in Zaobridge Township is nationally renowned for its pumpkins. Pumpkins are highly nutritious and make for excellent food. Zaofeng Community has further demonstrated creativity by using pumpkins to decorate the lakeside walking path and by planting various types of melons. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing and providing shade, they also help people learn about different kinds of melons such as pumpkins, bottle gourds, and snake gourds, making it a natural agri-education experience.

To promote leisure agriculture and revitalize rural areas, the county government organized a delegation to participate in the Shanghai Taiwan Agricultural Products Fair at the end of May this year, actively marketing Miaoli’s quality products and tourism offerings. Miaoli County has already certified 82 rural regeneration communities and, in collaboration with the ten major leisure agricultural areas approved by the Council of Agriculture, has adopted a regional alliance approach to create a series of agricultural experience tours for international visitors. These initiatives aim to market Miaoli’s cuisine and agricultural specialties, allowing visitors to experience the beauty of Miaoli’s mountainous city.