Deputy Minister Chou Chiang-chieh of the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) headed to the Xiaodongshi Old Trail in Shitan Township, Miaoli County on May 22 to attend the event Tung Blossoms in Xian Mountain. Participants joined the ceremony of the Tung blossom trail to bask in the different faces of nature across time in four steps: praying for flowers, looking for flowers, gathering amid flowers, and viewing blossoms. The activity calls on people to cherish objects and the environment to build a sustainable ecosystem together, in line with the spirit of Earth Day.
Also on October 22, HAC Deputy Minister Fan Tso-ming visited Happy Hill in Chiayi City's Yuan Lin Zai Community to participate in the 2023 Chiayi Tung Blossom Festival: Lucky to Have You. Chief Secretary Liao Pei-yu, on the other hand, was present in the Yuanshi Pavilion of Tengshan Trail in Yuanlin City, Changhua County to join the opening ceremony for 2023 Tung Blossom Festival: Beautiful Changhua, Walking Together. The event encourages friends and family to meet under the blossoming Tung trees and enjoy a leisurely walk.
This year's Tung Blossom Festival is based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to achieve sustainable tourism through festival activities in all four Tung blossom trails, including practical design that combines Hakka culture and artisan techniques, use of locally grown ingredients, worship of Bag Gung (local land deities), and production of distinctive food and drinks. The entire process echoes the transitional goals regarding the environment, industry, and local co-prosperity through collaboration with community partners. The long-term goal is to inspire people to return to Hakka villages and fulfill our placemaking vision. For more information, please visit the Tung Blossom Festival Facebook fanpage and the Romantic Hakka website.
The Tung Blossom Festival activities in Chiayi are themed "Lucky to Have You" this year, including Bag Gung rituals, Tung blossom picnics, and acoustic concerts under the blooming trees with performances by renowned Hakka singers. Small Farmers' Local Markets have also been planned at the entrance of the Tung blossom trails to promote the development of local industries. Tung Blossom Appreciation Tours are another activity that aims to help visitors get to know Yuan Lin Zai Community and learn about its rich ecosystem and the stories of Tung blossoms.
HAC is implementing Tung Blossom Way, comprised of short tours, small cultural activities, and small farmers' markets, in collaboration with Changhua County Government. For the first time, we are organizing an exit game in Yuanlin City's Tengshan Trail as part of the Tung Blossom Festival, combining agriculture, tourism, and culture to add depth to the activity and increase its benefits.
