Romance calls in Yangmingshan

Of the millions of calla lilies produced in Taiwan each year, more than half grow on farms near Bamboo Lake (Zhuzihu, 竹子湖), in Yangmingshan National Park. Each weekend in early spring, thousands of visitors make the long, automobile-choked trek up the mountain to pick lilies, eat mountain food and pose for wedding pictures in a sea of white flowers.

Traffic problems aside, it's hard to imagine a better setting for wholesome family entertainment so close to Taipei. Most come to pick bunches of the long-stemmed calla lilies, a relative of the taro that thrives in the cooler mountain climate. Others come to watch their children look for tadpoles in the muddy furrows or chase butterflies through the fields.

"It's like another world," said Hung Yi-wen (洪逸文), as he watched steam rise from Xiaoyoukeng (小油坑), a volcanic fissure at the base of Qixing Mountain (七星山). Hung, a high school teacher, drove with his wife and two former students to visit some of the two dozen small farms that open for the Zhuzihu Calla Lily Festival each year. Further down a trail that cuts through the farm on its way to the Guanchen Restaurant (冠宸食館), a groom in a cream-colored suit shuffled impatiently while a photographer snapped pictures of his fiance.

"It's so romantic," sighed Cindy Chen, a college student who was visiting for the first time. She came to escape the bustle of the city and breathe the mountain air. This year's calla lily festival winds up this weekend and offers a variety of activities, including a photography contest, guided ecological tours and mini concerts.

Last year the event drew half a million visitors, according to the Beitou Farmer's Association and Taipei City government. Organizers expect a similar number to attend this year.

"We have so many visitors I can't even count them," said Mrs. Cheng , who runs the Trail Calla Lily Garden (步道海芋園). Such numbers prompted farmers like Cheng, who weren't growing calla lilies a few years ago, to switch from rice and cabbage and open their fields to tourists. There are now 25 such farms, up from 18 in 2003.

Like most establishments, Cheng's serves drinks on a shady patio and charges NT$100 per person for entry. Here, the fee allows visitors to pick a bunch of 10 flowers. Cheng also sells individual flowers for NT$10 from a roadside stand.

The government encourages visitors to take public transportation up the mountain during the calla lily festival. Although several buses stop near Zhuzihu Road, a circular route that connects the calla lily farms, only the Small No. 9 (小9號) and No. 131 (131號) buses (which only run during the festival) travel to Dinghu (頂湖) and Xiahu (下湖), the two areas where the farms are located.

Nestled between Datun (大屯) and Qixing mountains, Dinghu has fewer restaurants and street peddlers than Xiahu. It was less crowded on a recent visit and the fields were still full of white blooms, making it the better spot to find the perfect flower.

Outside Mau-bang Garden (苗榜海竽園), one of the more well-appointed locations, manager Gao Yu-hsuan (高于玄) was busy wrapping flowers for customers last Saturday. They charge NT$100 for access to their fields. This price allows customers to pick six calla lilies, eat a small meal, or drink coffee or tea under a veranda lined with potted plants and trees.

"We grow about 400,000 flowers a year," Gao said. To his right, a television played an instructional video on how to pick calla lilies. Gao said a flower picked in cooler weather can last up to 20 days at home. Trim the stalk every day and put it in a vase filled with a few ice cubes and several centimeters of water.