Taipei City's government has hired "lighting masters" to turn Renai Road (
"Taiwanese have a habit during the long vacation of staying inside and watching TV and DVDs and eating," said Jason Yeh (
The tunnel, which will be up from Feb. 11 until the end of the month, "will express the concept of a "river of time," Yeh said.
The "river" will comprise five sections of colored Christmas lights wound into shapes suggestive of each section's theme: the history of Taipei, characters from Chinese legends, the modern economic process, environmentalism, and a light sculpture called Sunshine Dancers (陽光舞者).
Yeh chuckled as he explained why the third section was especially appropriate this year. "We called it `golden chicken' in Chinese, because the words for economy (
Yeh hopes the decorations will inspire Taipei citizens (and maybe some foreigner visitors as well) to make the 4km walk from Jing Fu Men (
During Chinese New Year, he said, huge numbers of people leave to spend the holiday with their families in other cities. Married daughters return to visit their natal families on the second day (
"Taipei is an empty city (during the New Year). We want to light up a tunnel of lights to make Taipei bright and cheery," Yeh said. And then, of course, "We want to make a romantic atmosphere for Valentine's Day."
To get to Jing Fu Men, take the Red Line to Tai Da Hospital (
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