There have been reports that a large royal poinciana tree at a kindergarten in Changhua County fell over due to disease. The children were so brokenhearted that an event to make zongzi(glutinous rice dumplings) to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival was turned into a farewell ceremony for the tree, with the children making cards and drawings to say goodbye.
Other reports said hydrangeas are in full bloom on Jinjhenshan in Taitung County’s Taimali Township (太麻里) and the flowering season is expected to last until next month.
Such reports are touching.
In addition to excellent food and historic sites, it is high time that Taiwan began exploring its native flora and promoting aesthetics education focused on rural and urban communities.
Older generations have fond memories of Tainan, when there were royal poincianas across the city, and their childhood memories are intertwined with the trees. People in those times might not have been materially rich, but the trees filled their hearts with warmth and happiness.
Visitors are always amazed at the coconut trees along Jhongjheng Road in the center of Pingtung City or the green tunnel created by almond trees lining a road in Pingtung County’s Chaojhou Township (潮州).
The government should encourage every community to develop its own scenic spots, including roads lined with trees or flowers. Surely this would not be a difficult thing to do.
Taiwan proper might be relatively small, but it is the homeland of a great diversity of ecosystems. Making good use of the climate and soil is the responsibility of everyone who lives here.
If the government takes the lead and promotes such activities, Taiwanese would be happy to follow.
Japan has four distinct seasons, resulting in many beautiful natural sceneries, while Japanese put a lot of effort into planting flowers and trees, and make them sightseeing selling points. For example, the snow in winter, the cherry blossoms in spring, summer festivals that focus on culture and the changing colors in autumn attract millions of tourists to Japan every year. Its target is to attract 40 million tourists next year and 60 million by 2030.
What about Taiwan? Taiwanese cannot be complacent just because annual visits have surpassed 10 million. Many people in urban and rural areas do not enjoy the effects of increased tourism. To change that, smaller destinations need to be promoted.
For example, the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival in Miaoli and the cotton tree boulevard in Tainan are both popular. If one — or perhaps even more — flower or tree themes were promoted in every township, along with local fruit seasons, and public transport and beautifying community buildings were promoted — including managing store signs — Taiwan would be well on the way of becoming the “Switzerland of Asia.”
Jane Ywe-hwan is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Japanese at National Pingtung University.
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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