2018 New Taipei City Hakka Tung Blossom Festival Series of Events - Tung Blossoms in Shulin, Roaming Shanjia

The 2018 New Taipei City Hakka Tung Blossom Festival series of events is unfolding enthusiastically across various locations. The opening ceremony of the Shulin District "Tung Blossoms in Shulin, Roaming Shanjia" event, organized by the Shulin District Office, is scheduled to be held on May 6 (Sunday) at 13:00 at the plaza in front of Shanjia Railway Station. The checkpoint hiking activity on that day features a total of 5 checkpoints along the entire route. In addition to visiting the century-old Shanjia Railway Station, where you can see the station's appearance from the old Japanese colonial era architecture, at the checkpoint in the front station area, the Railway Park, you can take photos with the old coal hopper cars. The Shanjia Street along the way is also full of interesting 3D murals for interactive photo opportunities.

At the checkpoints in the rear station area, besides admiring the Couple Trees, you can also look out over the Shanjia area from the viewing platform at Daoshan Temple and experience temple culture at Huguo Jixiang Temple. The first 300 people who complete all 5 checkpoints and collect all 5 stamps will receive Hakka mugwort rice cakes and red yeast rice fa gao! They are truly delicious and fun! At the same time, there are many wonderful performances at the plaza in front of Shanjia Railway Station, and nearby there are stalls selling traditional Hakka foods and Shulin's famous red yeast rice products. In the experience area, there is a Hakka lei cha DIY experience and tung blossom body painting, letting tung blossoms bloom on your face or hands, which is a truly special experience. Families are welcome to join in.

In addition, let me secretly recommend some hidden tung blossom viewing spots in Shulin District. You can go to the wooden boardwalks on both sides from Lujiao Creek Park to the Hakka Arts and Culture Center, or along certain sections of Minhe Street and Dehe Street on the road from Shulin toward Yingge, where you can enjoy the beautiful scene of May snow drifting. The tung blossoms here mostly grow at higher elevations, so you can gaze at the mountain forests from afar and admire the beautiful tung blossoms. However, please note that these two road sections are mountain roads with steeper terrain and require more physical stamina, so please assess before going. The Shulin District Office welcomes you to come and explore the hidden tung blossom spots!