"Wind City Fantasia" – Hsinchu Gets a Beautiful Makeover: The Moat Lights Up to Become a Magical Time Tunnel

▲ The "Celebrate a Great New Year in Hsinchu 2017" event will kick off its one-month art installation exhibition with a lighting ceremony at 6:30 PM on the 20th. (Photo provided by Hsinchu City Government; the same below)

By HowToTrip Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Hsinchu nights have become truly romantic this year. "Celebrate a Great New Year in Hsinchu 2017""Wind City Fantasia"is this year’s theme, featuring installations along the city moat and East Gate Fort. Tree lights are used to create a poetic and dreamlike night scene, forming an art light zone that is both traditional and innovative. On the evening of the 20th at 6:30 PM, the lights will be turned on at Hsinchu’s 228 Peace Park, inviting the public to experience warmth, freshness, and brightness under the light installations and take a stroll with loved ones through a time tunnel infused with Hsinchu character.

This year’s seven illuminated artworks are inspired by Hsinchu’s unique “wind” motif, with each creation extending from that concept. The main light zone is located along the moat. The event has specially invited renowned lighting artist Lin JingyP, experienced in both domestic and international lighting projects, to use various color temperatures and arrangements to craft dynamic interplays of light and shadow. A fantastical light corridor, the “Mirror Moon Bridge,” has been built over the moat, while slender, biomimetic plant-shaped lamp stands planted nearby interact with people, light, and wind—offering a romantic interpretation of Hsinchu’s Wind City identity.

Additionally, artist Hsu Tang-Wei, based in New York and Taipei, merges painting, sculpture, and architecture to elegantly transform the rose from The Little Prince into Hsinchu’s city flower, the azalea, evoking a world full of love. Another piece, “Glowing Celestial Body,” extends the concept of “The Little Prince’s Flower,” with the hope that people’s wishes will scatter across 228 Peace Park like stars, bringing hopes and blessings for the new year.

Artist Chen Yi-Chang drew inspiration from Hsinchu’s iconic East Gate, as well as the well-known children’s song “East Gate, East Gate, Buy Some Egg Cakes…” Combining creative imagination with the themes of the “Year of the Rooster” and “egg ‘cakes’,” he created a bold yet playful artwork. Artist Wu Geng-Zhen employed his expertise in traditional folk paper-cutting to interpret azaleas through red floral patterns, placing them on the water’s surface to symbolize the thriving vitality of Hsinchu. Artist Yang Chun-Sen crafted a group of crystal-clear, jellyfish-like lamps titled “Drift,” representing the vitality brought by the new spring.

Hsinchu Celebrates the New Year with Art Installations: Wind City Fantasia
Event Location: Hsinchu 228 Peace Park (Intersection of Zhongyang Road and Fuhou Street, Hsinchu)
Event Dates: January 20 – February 19