Written/Compiled and Reported by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network
Just two days away is the most important Lunar New Year holiday for locals. Where would you like to go for a “spring stroll” with family and friends to enjoy a fulfilling and fun Lunar New Year? The New Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs is set to hold the “2013 New Taipei City Cultural Spring Stroll!” during the Lunar New Year holiday. In collaboration with various museums and cultural venues across New Taipei City, these venues will begin opening from February 10th, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Visitors can enjoy a creative spring stroll at the museums—view exhibitions, appreciate theatrical performances, or participate in DIY experience classes. They can also purchase imaginative, fun, and diverse cultural and creative products as festive gifts. Additionally, they can take part in the “Stamp Collection for Gifts” event, exchanging stamps for different prizes based on the number collected, with the grand prize being a replica of the internationally renowned sculptor Zhu Ming’s artwork “Humanity Series – Queue.”
The Gold Ecological Park, which opens on February 11th (the second day of the Lunar New Year), will host the “2013 Bonding with the Jinguashi Shrine – Family Prayer for the Lunar New Year” event. (Image provided by New Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs)
Lin Chien-chi, Director of the New Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, stated that according to traditional customs, people choose an auspicious time and direction on the first day of the Lunar New Year to go out for a walk, engaging in a “spring stroll” in hopes of ensuring all goes well and brings great fortune in the new year. During this Lunar New Year holiday, the Zhu Ming Art Museum in Jinshan, New Taipei City, the Li Tianlu Puppetry Museum in Sanzhi, and the Xinpingxi Coal Mine Museum in Pingxi will open on February 10th, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Meanwhile, the 13-Line Museum, Gold Ecological Park, Tamsui Historic Sites Museum, Yingge Ceramics Museum, National Heritage Site Lin Ben Yuan Garden, Pinglin Tea Museum, and Fuzhong 15 – New Taipei Animation Story House, all managed by the New Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs, will only be closed on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year, reopening on February 11th, the second day of the Lunar New Year. Furthermore, the Xindian History Museum, Xinzhuang Arts and Culture Center, and the World Religion Museum will open on February 13th, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
To encourage the public to visit museums for a cultural spring stroll, the Department of Cultural Affairs has planned the “2013 New Taipei City Cultural Spring Stroll – Stamp Collection for Gifts” event, running from February 10th to February 17th. Members of the public can collect stamp collection leaflets at 20 public and private museums across New Taipei City. By collecting stamps from three museums, participants can exchange for one “2013 New Taipei City Cultural Spring Stroll Folder.” Collecting seven stamps allows for the exchange of a “Gold Brick USB” (4GB) valued at NT$490 from the Gold Ecological Park. With ten stamps, participants can get a “New Taipei City Museum Journey Backpack” worth nearly NT$1,000. Fifteen stamps can be exchanged for a creative “Wenchang Pen” set valued at over NT$2,000. Seventeen stamps can be redeemed for a “Gongfu Tea Set” valued at NT$5,000 from the Yingge Ceramics Museum. Finally, collecting all 20 museum stamps allows participants to claim the event’s top prize: a replica of internationally acclaimed sculptor Zhu Ming’s artwork “Humanity Series – Queue,” valued at NT$20,000.
The National Heritage Site Lin Ben Yuan Garden will also open its doors to visitors on February 11th. (Image provided by New Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs)
To welcome the Lunar New Year, many museums and cultural venues have planned a variety of festive activities, including the “Snake Patterns Greet the Spring at the 13-Line Museum,” the Gold Ecological Park’s “2013 Bonding with the Jinguashi Shrine – Family Prayer for the Lunar New Year,” the Tamsui Historic Sites Museum’s “Snakes Come to Stroll Through the Old Town,” the Yingge Ceramics Museum’s “Snake-Shaped Carvings,” the National Heritage Site Lin Ben Yuan Garden’s “The Garden Welcomes the Golden Snake Year,” the Pinglin Tea Museum’s “Welcoming Spring Blessings at the Tea Museum,” and Fuzhong 15 – New Taipei Animation Story House’s “Animations Celebrate the Snake Year.” These diverse Lunar New Year events offer activities such as pottery-making, tea tasting, chrysanthemum viewing, sampling snake-patterned cookies, and ascending shrines to bond, making the festive season both exciting and enriching.
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