The festival at Bamboo Lake is part of the Taipei City government's official promotion of agritourism, which began in 2002. The event now attracts more than half a million visitors each year and pumps over NT$140 million into the local economy, considerably more than the NT$30 million generated by flower sales alone.
Wang said there are many reasons why the event has been such a successful combination of agriculture and tourism: "Calla lilies are not fragile flowers. They aren't afraid of cold or dampness. From a farmer's perspective, the flower is easy to tend and blossoms over a period that can last for up to five months. From the tourism perspective, the flower creates a unique gardening vista with a palette of white, green and yellow. It creates a scene that is simple and elegant."
Traffic restrictions are imposed on weekends and national holidays between 9am to 5pm around Zhuzihu Road throughout the duration of the festival. Visitors are strongly advised to take public transportation to avoid traffic jams. Festivalgoers can take bus numbers 126 through 129 and 108 through 111 to Yangmingshan and then transfer to the Small 9 (小9號) or No. 131 bus to Zhuzihu. For more information, go to the event's official Web site at www.ed.taipei.gov.tw/calla-2008.
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