A diverse range of elegant chrysanthemums, said to be the "queens of fall flowers," are now on display at the popular flower garden of the Shihlin Presidential Residence.
Taiwan growers are holding this annual exhibit, organized by the Taipei City Government, to show off what they can do to please visitors' eyes. For the first time, the exhibit will open its doors until 9pm.
Last year the event, which is now in its third year, attracted more than 250,000 visitors in less than a month. The impressive attendance indicates that people in Taiwan are very fond of the flower and rightly so.
The flower has different associations in various regions: in Europe and Australia it is generally associated with death whereas in Taiwan it symbolizes a person's uncorrupted spirit.
This association originated from a well-known poem written by famous poet and retired government official Tao Yuan-ming
It is therefore no wonder that the organizers set up a section called the "Anti-corruption Floral Art Area," which represents the spirit of civil servants, at a time when media reports in Taiwan are dominated by alleged corruption in public life.
Chrysanthemums come in a wide range of colors and shapes. Yellow, white, red, pink, bronze and purple flowers carpet the lawns at the exhibition.
According to Lin Cang-jun (
Exhibition Notes:
What: Chrysanthemum Exhibit 2005
When: Now until Nov. 27, from 8am to 9pm
Where: 60, Fulin Road, Shihlin Presidential Residence Flower Garden, Taipei (
Admission: Free
Contact: (02 ) 2881 2512; 2389 0618
Web site: http://parklight.tcg.gov.tw.
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