Taiwan's Keukenhof Garden XinShe Flower Sea opens on November 17

By MOOK Travel Life Network, reported by Chen Guanxin

The annual tourism highlight of Greater Taichung—the 101st XinShe Flower Sea series of events—is set to kick off on November 17 at the Second Farm of the Council of Agriculture’s Crop Research Institute. This year, there will be 30 hectares of vibrant landscape flower seas and 4 hectares of delicate floral arrangements forming a magnificent and colorful sea of blooms. This includes 14 hectares of sunn hemp, 8 hectares of sunflowers, and 8.5 hectares of cosmos, covering a total area equivalent to 17 Taipei Arenas—comparable to the Netherlands’ Keukenhof Garden. Additionally, six themed pavilions and four major thematic exhibition areas are planned. Visitors can enjoy the simultaneous blossoming of seasonal flowers such as plum blossoms, orchids, and chrysanthemums, as well as sample agricultural specialties from Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou.

Entering its seventh year, this year’s XinShe Flower Sea event runs from November 17 to December 16. It features six major themed exhibition halls: the Century Prosperity Pavilion, the Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Pavilion, the Flowering Passiflora Pavilion, the HELLO Rural Goodness Pavilion, the Forest Living Low-Carbon Pavilion, and the Lifestyle Aesthetics Theme Exhibition Hall. The Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Pavilion uses agricultural techniques such as photoperiod and temperature control to allow different seasonal flowers like plum blossoms, orchids, and chrysanthemums to bloom simultaneously. The Forest Living Low-Carbon Pavilion employs picture displays, DIY potted plants, and prize quizzes to promote forest conservation awareness. The HELLO Rural Goodness Pavilion offers experiences through sight, taste, touch, and sound, allowing visitors to experience the charm of rural life through food tastings, nostalgic DIY activities, and local cultural presentations. The Century Prosperity Pavilion showcases a miniature version of Taiwan’s seedling industry development over the past 100 years.

This year’s event also combines with the Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival, the 2012 Central Taiwan Agricultural Expo, the Central Changhua Nantou Agricultural Specialties Marketing Area, and the Greater Taichung Food Zone to present four major themed exhibition areas. In the Central Taiwan Agricultural Expo area, creative garden landscaping exhibitions are held, showcasing local agriculture and agricultural specialties from Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou. The Agricultural Specialties Marketing Area features nearly 200 booths selling agricultural products from Central Changhua Nantou, along with stage performances and cultural theater shows. The Greater Taichung Food Zone gathers delicious street snacks from traditional markets and creative dishes from the Fengjia Night Market, allowing visitors to enjoy the flower sea while savoring delicious food.

Additionally, during the XinShe Flower Sea period, visitors who fill out a questionnaire at the Forest Living Low-Carbon Pavilion will have the chance to win a limited-edition black bear T-shirt from the Dongshi Office’s XinShe Flower Sea event, as well as a free one-night stay in a standard double room at the Baxianshan National Forest Recreation Area on a weekday. Furthermore, those presenting the questionnaire stub at any of the jurisdiction’s national forest recreation areas—Daxueshan, Baxianshan, or Hehuanshan—can receive a Mikado pheasant T-shirt. The official website of the XinShe Flower Sea event: flowersea.coa.gov.tw.

● Extended Reading: Behind-the-Scenes of "Life of Pi" Now on Display at Taichung’s National Science and Technology Museum

http://goo.gl/GR1UZ