With the white tung blossoms bursting into bloom starting this month, more than 106 Hakka communities from six counties in Taiwan invited the public to enjoy the lily-white drifts and experience the rich Hakka culture at a series of events nationwide.
The fourth annual Tung Blossom Festival, sponsored by the Council for Hakka Affairs to promote Hakka culture, promises to draw more visitors this year with a line-up of creative events and improved transportation services.
The white flowers and the sturdy trunks of the tung trees make them an excellent symbol of the Hakka people, representing the group's patience for hard work and the purity of their spirit, according to the council.
"The Tung Blossom Festival has become a successful model in the cultural industry by creating both cultural and economic values for the Hakka community," the council's acting chairman Lee Yung-de (
"With more exciting activities, such as tung blossom lighting shows at night, special train services and special tour guides for English and Japanese-speaking travelers, we hope to bring more visitors to experience the beauty of Hakka culture," Lee said.
The festival, which starts on April 16 with an opening ceremony at the Westlake Resortopia (
In addition, 21 "tung blossom sightseeing paths" have been created in the six counties hosing the festival. To make it more convenient for visitors to reach the destinations, the council will provide festival trains every weekend.
In an attempt to attract young people, the popular Taiwanese rock band Mayday will perform during the festival's opening ceremony.
"Japan has the famous cherry blossom festival each March and April. With the Tung Blossom Festival flourishing in Taiwan, we can enjoy the flower sightseeing, drinking lei-cha and listening to music without traveling far away," the band said.
Over 28 festival venues in the Hakka communities are encouraged to develop their own individual merchandise, such as pottery, with a tung-flower theme. Traditional Hakka snacks and food will also be featured in the festival.
Last year's festival generated NT$3 billion in revenues with a total of 2.7 million people attending, according to the council.
This year, the council invited travel agencies from Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Japan to visit the festival, expecting them to bring foreign friends to experience the cultural event.
Tung trees have been valued as a source of lumber and for the water-resistant oil derived from their seeds. Although the trees are no longer as popular for industrial purposes as in previous decades, their wood is still used for carving and firewood.
Detailed information on the festival can be found on the Hakka council's official Web site at www.hakka.gov.tw.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
Taiwan and the US have begun trade negotiations over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in an interview this morning before reporting to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, has already established communication channels with the US Department of State and the US Trade Representative (USTR), and is engaging in intensive consultations, he said. Points of negotiation include tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and issues related to investment, procurement and export controls, he