The Taichung World Flora Exposition grand opening was held on November 3, 2018, in Fengyuan, Houli, and Waipu. In addition to displays of flowers and plants, this year's event also featured live performances including music, dance, drama, and drumming. To encourage people to maximize their visits, the Taichung Tourism Bureau has launched 36 full-scale sightseeing tours, so visitors may fully enjoy the beauty of this flower fair. The Expo will continue on to April 24, 2019, encompassing Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park, Waipu Park, and Fengyuan Huludun Park.
Houli Park: Largest of the Venues
The largest park, Houli, features a forest and horse-riding area, plus a history of over a hundred years. Their stables are recognized as historical sites with stable architecture characteristic of Japanese rule at the time of their construction. This area offers a parent-child equestrian experience during the Expo, while a couple of stables will house Expo-related merchandise. The forest park displays the diversity of Taichung's landscape, from the seaport and mid- to low-altitude areas, to the Dasyueshan area. Installation art and exhibition halls, such as the one themed Listening to the Sound of Blooming, are also set up in the forest.
Waipu Park: Agriculturally Themed
Waipu Park covers an area of about 16 hectares and has two exhibition halls, themed Joy of Agriculture and Intelligence of Agriculture. Joy of Agriculture hightlights four important Taiwanese crops—rice, fruit, mushrooms, and tea. With the slogan of Genes Create All Things, Treasure Island is Our Ark, the Intelligence of Agriculture Hall showcases different agricultural and horticultural cultivation techniques as well as examples of cutting-edge agricultural science and technology. The Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center was invited to display more than 1,000 rare plants that comprise a horticultural ark.
Fengyuan Huludun Park: Tasteful and Flowery
Among the Expo's 3 major parks, Fengyuan Huludun Park is the only one that has a river flowing through it. Recommended attractions include a glass art and flower sea themed Happy Flower Marriage, a competition garden, and a 213-meter flower corridor. In addition, the park combines different exhibition areas, including a Happy-Meeting Hall, county and city parks, and a corporate court park, further enriching the Expo with a variety of waterfront flowers. The Happy-Meeting Hall features Taichung pastries and offers visitors a feast of local flowers and baked goods.
36 Flora Expo Tours to Take in Taichung
To encourage people to visit the Expo and enjoy Taichung culture, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau has launched 36 Expo tours. These cover a broad range of the area's scenic and cultural features. In the Waipu Park area adjacent to the ocean, visitors can go to the East Donghwasa Trail, Lotus Valley, Bu Ying Xiong Culture and Creation Center, Dajia Town Palace, Rice Industry Culture Center, and internationally-renowned Gaomei Wetland Park, which is ideal for evening visits. Both Houli and Fengyuan Parks are in a mountainous area, surrounded by the Houfeng Iron Horse Road, Dongfeng Bicycle Green Corridor, Libao Paradise Resort, Miaodong Night Market, Taian Railway Culture Park, Zhongshe Sightseeing Flower Market, Yuemei Sightseeing Sugar Factory, and other famous attractions ideal for quick tours.