Written/Compiled and Reported by MOOK Travel Life Net’s Chen Guanxin
The Hualien "2014 Pacific Lantern Festival and New Year Goods Street" will launch on January 24. Carrying on the grand tradition of thousands of glowing red lanterns from last year’s Spring Festival, this year’s event will continue to light up Hualien with a sparkling sea of lights, and will showcase the Q-version debut of the "Red-Faced Duck" and "Blue Orca" as the dual main lantern attractions to welcome the New Year. Along the street, local business districts will also host a farmers' market featuring top-quality local agricultural products, displaying Hualien’s distinctive farm and fishery specialties and souvenirs. Visitors to Hualien during this period will be able to admire the cute main lantern designs and explore the authentically traditional Taiwanese New Year Goods Street, where they can shop for festive dishes and New Year gift essentials.
One of the main lanterns of the Hualien Pacific Lantern Festival—the Red-Faced Duck—has successfully been launched into the water. (Image source / from the Hualien Tourism Facebook fan page)
This year’s Pacific Lantern Festival will run from January 24 to February 14, with all 13 townships and cities in Hualien lighting up in unison, blanketing the area in a sea of red lanterns. Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi stated that the two main initial lantern-lighting venues—the Sixth Redevelopment Zone in downtown Hualien and Liyu Lake—will feature the adorable large-scale "Blue Orca" and "Red-Faced Duck" making playful debuts. Given that Hualien enjoys nearly a 100% whale and dolphin sighting rate, earning it the title of the hometown of whales and dolphins, the cute blue orca symbolizes the city’s oceanic character. In addition, following the huge popularity of the yellow rubber duck in Taiwan, a locally designed red-faced duck, measuring 17 meters in length, 15 meters in height, and 14 meters in width, will make its grand appearance and will be permanently displayed at Liyu Lake after the lantern lighting ceremony.
Streets adorned with red lanterns add even more festive cheer to Hualien. (Image source / from the Hualien Tourism Facebook fan page)
Additionally, last year’s Spring Festival New Year Goods Market and Hualien Farmers’ Specialty Products Exhibition received widespread acclaim. This year’s New Year Goods Street will run concurrently with the Pacific Lantern Festival and remain open until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, allowing all visiting tourists to get all their New Year shopping done in one go along the bustling street. The New Year Goods Market will not only feature stalls selling traditional and authentic delicacies and classic Taiwanese snacks, but will also host exciting performances every day, along with daily lucky draws offering prizes such as LCD TVs, lucky gift bags, and organic farm specialties.
● Further Reading:
Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Countdown: 8 Days to Go, Free Mini Lanterns "Happy Horse" to Be Given Out in Two Phases
www.mook.com.tw/article.php?op=articleinfo&articleid=9527
This year’s Hualien Pacific Lantern Festival will feature the Red-Faced Duck and Blue Orca as dual main lanterns. (Image provided / Hualien County Government)