Second annual Tung Blossom Festival to begin soon

The Council for Hakka Affairs announced yesterday the opening of the 2003 Tung Blossom Festival (客家桐花祭), an annual event which began last year.

"The Tung Tree used to be an important source of income for the Hakka people. That is why the Tung Blossom is used as a symbol to promote Hakka culture to outsiders," said council chairwoman Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭).

"The Tung Blossom Festival is an event that tries to water the deep roots of the [Hakka] culture on this island while stimulating the economy and boosting local tourism," Yeh said.

Yeh said that the festival, slated to open on April 19 and close on May 4, combines government and public resources and is a result of the full cooperation between central and local governments.

In an effort to show the government's support for the promotion of Hakka culture, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is scheduled to open the festival at West Lake Resortopia (西湖渡假村) on April 19. After the opening ceremony, there will be a demonstration of Hakka songs and dances.

In addition, the popular local pianist Chen Kuan-hsi (陳冠希), as well as the singers Hsieh Yu-wei(謝宇威) and Hsu Ching-chun (許景淳) will also perform at the opening.

The festival will close with a concert by several local Hakka choruses at Dasheng Royal Garden (大聖御花園) on May 4, the council said.

During the festival, the duration of which coincides with the Tung Blossom season, there will be 341 different cultural events spread throughout Hakka communities in the counties of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taichung.

The festival brochure can be acquired at any 7-Eleven, Chinese Petroleum station, or First Bank.

The various activities allow people to visit Hakka villages, taste traditional Hakka food, and appreciate the Tung flowers.

It is also possible to participate in making one's own clay pottery and Hakka-styled clogs, according to the council.

The Tung tree, a symbol of Taiwan's Hakka culture, originated in areas along the Yangtze River in China and was imported to Taiwan about 100 years ago.

The Tung tree starts to blossom in April, reaching its peak in May. As white Tung flowers grow in clusters from the plains to the hillsides, the sea of flowers looks like snow from a distance. Hence the Tung flowers have obtained the mythologically inspired name "May Snow."

Tung trees often grew in locations close to Hakka communities, and have become a natural cultural asset for the Hakka people.

According to the council, there are two major species of Tung in Taiwan: Mu oil (木油) and Tung oil (桐油). The hardwood Mu oil tree can be used to make furniture, matchsticks, toothpicks and clogs, while the Tung oil tree yields an oil which can be applied as a waterproof coating and also used as paint.

The traditional Hakka "oil umbrella," made with paper from Meinung (a Hakka village), is coated with Tung oil, the council said.

For more information on the Tung Blossom Festival, visit:

http://www.hakka.gov.tw