Ride an Iron Horse, Paint Tofu: New Ways to Enjoy Phoenix Trees in New Taipei

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Reported by Chen Guanxin

 

Happy New Taipei presents a unique Hakka Phoenix Tree Festival, which will kick off successively in the most picturesque phoenix tree areas of New Taipei City. The event will continue until May 12. The 2013 New Taipei Hakka Phoenix Tree Festival takes “Tung Joy Meet” as its main theme, featuring specially designed phoenix tree appreciation activities every week throughout the event period. This weekend, events such as “Waterwheel, Phoenix Trees, and the Sanzhi Love Song,” “New Taipei Tung Joy: Iron Horse Chase,” and “Phoenix Tree Tofu Love in Shenkeng” will be held. These activities will lead the public to explore the Hakka market through guided tours of waterwheel parks, go on hiking trips, and ride bicycles to enjoy the beauty of phoenix trees in Sanzhi, Tucheng, Sanxia, and Shenkeng.

On May 4, “Waterwheel, Phoenix Trees, and the Sanzhi Love Song” integrates the Hakka Phoenix Tree Festival with guided tours of six waterwheel parks to create a one-day sightseeing loop. It also features a Hakka market, handicraft workshops, and Hakka cultural performances. The activity will allow participants to approach, understand, and appreciate phoenix trees through hiking, along with sketching and essay-writing contests inspired by the phoenix trees and Hakka culture. The event runs from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. On the same day in the Tucheng area, the “New Taipei Tung Joy: Iron Horse Chase” event will take place. Participants will cycle through Tucheng and Sanxia to admire the phoenix trees, with rest stations set up for replenishment and stamp collection. Those who collect five event stamps can exchange them for a NT$80 booth voucher at the finish line. Participants who complete the free DIY Hakka tote bag experience and the guided tour stamp collection can enter the on-site lucky draw. Additionally, the venue features a “Tree of Care for the Vulnerable,” where people can write messages of blessing for the “Sanxia Chunhui Enabling Center” on love cards and hang them on the tree. The center will receive these messages.

 

On May 5, “Phoenix Tree Tofu Love in Shenkeng” will host a self-guided walking event at the Tianlong Temple Plaza in Shenkeng District. Families can enjoy the phoenix tree trail together, plant trees, and participate in a 102 Tung Blossom Tofu Painting activity. A whole block of tofu, edible-grade paints, soy sauce paste, ketchup, and orange sauce will be provided for free creative works themed around Shenkeng’s phoenix trees. Pre-registration is required. In addition, a “Hakka Art Village” will be set up around the venue, promoting art education through activities such as printing phoenix tree bookmarks, weaving scarecrows, making DIY phoenix tree soap, and painting tung blossom umbrellas.

 

On May 12, the “Jincheng Phoenix Tree Creative Fun Run” will take place at the Tucheng District Comprehensive Sports Stadium. Participants are encouraged to express their creativity with the most imaginative outfits for the fun run costume competition. Awards for the top three in both the Creativity and Energy categories will be given, with prizes of NT$3,000, NT$2,000, and NT$1,000 respectively. Event website: www.2013newtaipei-tung.com.

 

 

● Read more: Mother’s Day Tung Joy Meet – Enjoy Phoenix Trees at West Lake Resort

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