Pingtung New Year Goods Street Opens on January 14 with Lucky Red Envelopes

By Wei Ruyu, compiled and reported

The “2012 Happy Pingtung – Auspicious Dragon Welcomes Spring New Year Goods Street” event will kick off this weekend (January 14–15) at Pingtung County’s Zhongshan Park, featuring 80 booths offering local agricultural products, souvenirs, festive foods, and general merchandise. At the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. on the 14th, there will be a “Fortune Falls from the Sky” activity, where the organizers have prepared 200 red envelopes to be generously given out to attendees for good luck.

This year marks the 4th edition of Pingtung’s New Year Goods Street. It brings together specialty products from various township farmer’s associations and local quality vendors to provide a sales platform. This year’s event features 80 booths divided into four major zones: the Classic Food and Souvenir Area, the Love Sharing Sales Area, the Agricultural Pingtung Products Area, and the Special New Year Goods Zone. Sales run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., making it convenient for the public to shop. Additionally, there will be performances by Rainbow Sister, magicians, street performers, and traditional New Year couplet writing activities on the stage.

Yin Fenglan, Director of Pingtung County’s Tourism and Communications Department, said that in addition to continuing last year’s strong shopping momentum, the department has planned many innovative measures. One of the new initiatives is the “Happy Dragon” New Year Goods Shuttle Bus, which will operate during both days of the event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bus departs hourly from Zhongshan Park and stops along the way at Pingtung Railway Station, Pingtung Night Market, Ren’ai Road, Shengli Road, and Zhongzheng Road. The public is encouraged to make use of this eco-friendly and parking-convenient service.

During the event, visitors can receive a food discount coupon by checking in on Facebook with the text “I’m at Pingtung Zhongshan Park New Year Goods Street.” A total of 200 coupons are available each day, limited to one per person per day until supplies run out. Yin Fenglan explained that the discount coupons are valid from January 14 to January 20. They can not only be used at the New Year Goods Street but also at designated shops in Pingtung Night Market — spend NT$100 and get NT$40 off. This helps extend the lively shopping atmosphere to the night market as well.

For more details, visit the Pingtung County Government website at www.pthg.gov.tw/tw/index.aspx, or follow the Tourism and Communications Department’s official Facebook fan page “i Pingtung ~ Love Pingtung” to stay updated on the latest news.