Taiwan’s Keukenhof Garden – Xinshe Flower Sea opens on November 17

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported by Chen Guanxin

 

The annual tourism highlight in Greater Taichung—the 101st Xinshe Flower Sea series of events—is set to kick off on November 17 at the Second Farm of the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station. This year, the event will showcase 30 hectares of vibrant floral landscapes and 4 hectares of delicate blooming flowers, creating a magnificent sea of colors. This includes 14 hectares of sunn hemp, 8 hectares of sunflowers, and 8.5 hectares of cosmos, covering a total area equivalent to 17 Taipei Arenas—rivalling the beauty of Holland’s Keukenhof Garden. Additionally, six featured theme pavilions and four major themed exhibition areas have been planned. Visitors can enjoy the simultaneous blooms of seasonal flowers such as plum blossoms, orchids, and chrysanthemums, as well as sample agricultural specialties from Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou.

This year marks the seventh edition of the Xinshe Flower Sea series, running from November 17 to December 16. The event features six major themed pavilions: the Century Prosperity Pavilion, the Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Pavilion, the Passionflower Showcase Pavilion, the HELLO! Rural Charm Pavilion, the Forest Life Low-Carbon Pavilion, and the Lifestyle Aesthetics Exhibition Pavilion. The Plum Orchid Bamboo Chrysanthemum Pavilion uses agricultural techniques such as photoperiod and temperature control to allow flowers from different seasons—including plum blossoms, orchids, and chrysanthemums—to bloom simultaneously. The Forest Life Low-Carbon Pavilion employs image displays, DIY potted plant activities, and prize quizzes to promote forest conservation awareness. The HELLO! Rural Charm Pavilion offers multi-sensory experiences—sight, taste, touch, and sound—through food tastings, nostalgic DIY activities, and local cultural performances, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the charm of rural life. Meanwhile, the Century Prosperity Pavilion showcases a century of development in Taiwan’s seedling industry.

This year’s event also combines with the Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival, the 2012 Central Taiwan Agricultural Expo, the Central Changhua Nantou Agricultural Specialties Marketing Area, and the Greater Taichung Food Zone to create four major themed exhibition areas. In the Central Taiwan Agricultural Expo area, creative garden landscaping exhibitions are held, showcasing local agriculture and agricultural specialties from Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou. The Agricultural Specialties Marketing Area features nearly 200 stalls selling agricultural products from Central Changhua Nantou, along with stage performances and cultural troupe shows. The Greater Taichung Food Zone gathers delicious street snacks from traditional markets and creative dishes from the Fengjia Night Market, allowing visitors to enjoy both the flower sea and gourmet treats.

Additionally, during the Xinshe Flower Sea event, visitors who fill out a questionnaire at the Forest Life Low-Carbon Pavilion will have a chance to win a limited-edition black bear T-shirt from the Dongshi Office’s Xinshe Flower Sea event, as well as a free one-night stay in a standard double room at the Baxianshan National Forest Recreation Area. Moreover, those presenting the questionnaire stub at any of the managed national forest recreation areas—Daxueshan, Baxianshan, or Hehuanshan—can receive a pheasant-tailed jacana T-shirt. Official website of the Xinshe Flower Sea event: flowersea.coa.gov.tw.

 

● Read more: Behind-the-scenes of *Life of Pi* now on display at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung

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