Save $350 on sand sculpture viewing with a combo ticket that includes food and fun

By MOOK Travel Life Network, reported by Chen Guanxin

 

The 2013 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival officially kicked off last Saturday (May 4), attracting tens of thousands of visitors in the morning. In addition to driving or taking the train, travelers can explore nine major Northeast Coast attractions including Ruifang Railway Station, Jiufen, Gold Museum, Shuinandong, Bitou, Longdong Bay Marine Park, Longdong Four Seasons Bay, Aodi, and Fulong via the “Taiwan Tourist Shuttle—Golden Fulong Line.” Alongside the ongoing “NT$50 One-Day Bus Pass” with unlimited rides, tour operators have launched the “Golden Fulong Line Tour Package.” For NT$350, the “Ride the Golden Fulong Line to See Sand Sculptures” package includes a bus pass, a local train ticket, an entry ticket to the sand sculpture festival, a Fulong bento box, and a limited-edition headscarf. Another option is the NT$299 package, which includes a bus pass, a local train ticket, a bicycle experience voucher, a Fulong bento box, and a limited-edition headscarf.

This year’s event will showcase 77 sand sculptures divided into four zones: the Theme Exhibition Area with 34 pieces, the International Creation Exhibition Area with 11, the International Competition Area with 12, and the Domestic Competition Area with 20—marking the largest scale and number of works in the festival’s history. The exhibits include the classic children’s toy “rattle drum,” the “Old Street of Taiwan” highlighting local culture and cuisine, the globally popular comic “Old Master Q,” the blockbuster Chinese New Year movie “David Loman” that surpassed NT$100 million at the box office, the globally renowned sci-fi film “Star Wars,” the international award-winning director Ang Lee—who won four Oscars for “Life of Pi”—the globally viral “Gangnam Style” by PSY, and the beloved 1990s manga “One Piece,” all serving as inspiration for sand sculptors. The inaugural Taiwan International Sand Sculpture Competition invited top artists from ten countries: the Netherlands, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, Japan, Canada, the UK, the US, Taiwan, and China. The champion was Canadian artist Jonathan Bouchard with his piece “Dear, I Brought the Dinosaur to the Real World (Dragon on Reality),” while the second and third places went to British artist Baldrick Buckle and Chinese artist Wang Jie, respectively.

For visitors planning to drive to the sand sculpture venue, the organizers have designated multiple parking areas, such as the space in front of the Fulong Visitor Center and near Fulong Elementary School, offering around 800 parking spots. For detailed information, please visit the official website of the 2013 Fulong Sand Sculpture Festival. To manage traffic, visitors can park along Provincial Highway 2b and take a paid shuttle bus to the venue. The shuttle operates on weekends and holidays during the event, running from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM with buses departing approximately every 15 minutes. Alternatively, visitors are advised to take a train to Fulong Railway Station and walk about five minutes to reach the festival site.