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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS