The world’s only Hello Kitty painted rice field returns, with a grand parade at the Tropical Agriculture Expo

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

The “2018 Pingtung Tropical Agriculture Expo” kicked off in February for a one-month event running until March 4. This year, 14 new themed zones were added, among which the most eye-catching is the Hello Kitty painted rice field. The rice field design was authorized by Sanrio and planted using 3D positioning technology, bringing Hello Kitty vividly to life in the paddies. On the opening day of the expo, there was also a Hello Kitty meet-and-greet and a joyful parade.

The container exhibition area also features Hello Kitty decorations during the event.

In addition to the Hello Kitty painted rice field, the expo also offers Taiwan’s longest fruit and vegetable corridor, a spring-themed flower sea, an aquatic products pavilion, an orchid art pavilion, hands-on farming experiences, an indigenous specialty zone, and an artful potted plant exhibition—perfect for a family-friendly Lunar New Year trip. This year’s colored rice uses five shades—purple, white, yellow, black, and green—and is planted using 3D image positioning to combine traditional agriculture with modern technology, creating a stunning large-scale land art piece.

This year, in a cross-industry collaboration with Sanrio Taiwan, the main visual design for the Pingtung Tropical Agriculture Expo centers around Pingtung’s distinctive local agricultural products. It integrates representative Pingtung produce such as rice, onions, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, honey dates, and coffee into the visual theme. With a localized design approach, Hello Kitty and her friends are also dressed in playful workwear and wearing conical hats.