Nantou’s “Liu Family Plum Garden”: Plum Blossom Season at the Taiwan Airlines Calendar Shooting Location of Lin Chi-ling

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin

 

From late December to the end of January each year is plum blossom season, when the flowers bloom in the cold winter. Thousands of hectares of white plum blossoms burst into bloom, filling the air with a subtle fragrance that is simply intoxicating. The homeland of plums — Xinyi Township in Nantou County — is the area with the most extensively planted plum trees in all of Taiwan. Its three major plum blossom viewing spots are “Fengguidou,” “Wusongkeng,” and “Niuchongkeng.” Among them, Niuchongkeng is a lesser-known private plum blossom spot and was also the backdrop for Lin Chi-ling’s Taiwan Airlines calendar shoot. While strolling through the plum groves, snow-white petals occasionally drift down, as if walking along a path of white snow. The blossoms are vibrant, in shades of pink, white, and pale green, like snow covering the sky — a dreamy scene. Looking out over the white plum-covered mountains is like stepping into a traditional Chinese painting, where the beauty of “quantity creates beauty” is fully on display.

 

The lush green lawn is the most captivating feature. When you’re tired from walking, you can easily lie down under the plum trees on the soft grass, gaze up at the blue sky and white clouds, admire the plum blossoms, and watch the falling petals land on your face. It might even make you want to take an afternoon nap here, meeting up with Mr. Sandman and enjoying a lazy, leisurely afternoon. The scale of Liu Family Plum Garden can be considered the largest plum garden near Niuchongkeng, and it also has an excellent location, facing the Chenyoulan River and the Dujia Mountain Range. The currently open plum garden covers fifteen hectares. When plum blossom season arrives, you can overlook the sea of white plum trees. It attracts not only general tourists but also many painters, musicians, and photography enthusiasts who come specifically to admire the scenery. Liu Family Plum Garden allows the public to get closer to the plum blossoms and appreciate their beauty up close.

 

With the arrival of plum blossom season in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, the Xinyi Township Farmers’ Association holds an approximately one-month-long “Tramping Through Snow to Find Plums” tourism event every late December. This event combines local cuisine, scenic beauty, and indigenous characteristics, including performances of Bunun ethnic songs and dances, plum cuisine, tea tasting, and pottery workshops, enriching visitors’ plum blossom experiences. Under the blooming plum blossoms, you can listen to music, admire traditional Chinese paintings of plum blossoms, and enjoy tea under the plum trees. You can also visit the Xinyi Township agricultural specialty product exhibition, feast on Bunun cultural cuisine, and participate in fun plum-related games.

 

●  Further Reading:

Autumn Flowers Bloom in Gu Ting: A Super Romantic Date on the Riverside Floral Carpet

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