Breaking into the park at night to catch 'Pokémon'! Hualien's Lintianshan asks visitors not to enter after dark

▲ Hualien Lintianshan Forest Culture Park. (Photo / Courtesy of the Lintianshan Forest Culture Park official website)

Reported by Tsai Wen-jun / Compiled by staff

The mobile game Pokémon Go has swept across Taiwan, sparking a nationwide craze for catching Pokémon and turning Hualien’s Lintianshan Forest Culture Park into a popular spot for players, with large numbers of visitors flooding in at night. The Hualien Forest Management Office urges the public not to enter the park after dark for safety reasons.

The Pokémon-catching craze has swept across Taiwan, with crowds of people seen staring at their phones even in Hualien. The Hualien Forest Management Office stated that as the park lacks sufficient lighting at night and residential areas are still occupied by residents, entry is prohibited after dark to ensure visitor safety and avoid disturbing local residents’ quality of life. Therefore, the public is asked to adhere to the park’s opening hours, with the entire park closed at night. The Lintianshan Forest Culture Park is open from Tuesday to Sunday, and is regularly closed on New Year’s Eve and every Monday. Exhibition halls within the park, including Zhongshan Hall, the Exhibition Hall, and the Field Manager’s Hall, are open for visits from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with the Exhibition Hall, Field Manager’s Hall, and the Forestry Life Hall closing from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM for a lunch break.