By MOOK Scenic Spots Journalist Kumiko, compiled and reported
A scene from the "2019 Flowers in Changhua – Flowers in Full Bloom, Moon in Perfect Circle, Wishing for Prosperity in the Year of the Pig" event in Changhua. (Photo / Changhua County Government, the same below)
Many Changhua residents expressed understanding toward County Magistrate Wang Hui-mei’s decision to forgo hosting the Taiwan Lantern Festival, citing the high cost of 500–600 million NTD and insufficient funding. They felt the money should be spent more wisely and that organizing a large-scale lantern festival would be too resource-intensive.
The "2019 Flowers in Changhua" and Changhua Lantern Festival events, which lasted 15 days, attracted over 870,462 visitors.
However, another group of netizens on the "Changhua County Residents’ Advisory Discussion Forum for Magistrate Wang Hui-mei" argued that Magistrate Wang Hui-mei was “wise and almost prophetic” for doing nothing and thus avoiding mistakes, claiming that not striving for opportunities means no risks. They also pointed out how Pingtung had recently gained visibility and established a successful example of tourism promotion, suggesting that Changhua County should demonstrate similar capability and foresight in hosting large-scale tourism events.
The "2019 Flowers in Changhua" event featured a performance of the Chongqing Tongliang Fire Dragon at Xizhou Park.
Taiwan’s cities and counties hold numerous tourism-related events every year, connecting local transportation infrastructure with natural and cultural attractions. Funding comes from both central and local governments. How to maximize the effectiveness of these budgets to enhance local tourism visibility and boost local tourism consumption is indeed a concern for many citizens. Changhua County, known as the largest county in Taiwan outside the six major municipalities, recently made headlines for reportedly yielding the hosting rights of the Taiwan Lantern Festival. The varying opinions among netizens also reflect differing views among the public regarding the organization of official government tourism events and the use of budgets.