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The groundbreaking ceremony took place at Houli Horse Ranch and was hosted by Mayor Chia-lung Lin. Dignitaries in attendance include: Department of Tourism Director General Cheng-shan Chen, Agriculture and Food Agency Deputy Director General Mao-hsiang Su, City Councilor Pen-tien Chen and Mei-chun Weng, Legislator Tzu-yung Hung as well as representative from City Councilor Ching-lung Chen’s office. In addition, four major construction firms of the flora expo also participated in the grand occasion.
According to Mayor Lin, groundbreaking of flora expo’s Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park Area commenced today, and just like all great things take time, the flora expo is no exception. After discovering protected species Prionailurus bengalensis in Houli, the park area was repositioned and divided into 3 regions, where the 60-hectare Houli Park Area was reduced to 30 hectares. However, the area was repositioned, with the inclusion of Fengyuan and Waipu; despite a slight delay in schedule, the rearrangement received acknowledgment from International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), which upgraded the event status to “World Flora Expo”.
Mayor Lin further elaborated that the distinguishing features of Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park Area are the historic monument of Houli Horse Ranch and barracks. Blending the venues into the local landscape presents an even bigger challenge, but Mayor Lin has every confidence in the construction firms’ ability to complete the project in time while maintaining the highest possible standards. After the flora expo draws to an end, the venue will be retained and used as the conference venue for 2020 World Orchid Conference. Moreover, the Equestrian Competition Park is the first one in Asia designed according to Olympic specifications, thus it is capable of generating future developments in Houli.
Mayor Lin also extended his gratitude to Executive Yuan Premier Chuan Lin for supporting the flora expo. With a total budget of NT$ 8.6 billion, the expenses are shared equally by the Central Government and Taichung City Government, the same as that of Taipei International Flora Exposition. Prior to the inauguration of incumbent President Ing-wen Tsai, the Central Government only provided NT$ 3 billion, which is NT$ 1.3-1.4 billion short of target. After President Tsai came into office, Premier Chuan Lin offered his full support to provide all the necessary funds in order to ensure the successful implementation of flora expo construction projects.
According to Agriculture and Food Agency Deputy Director General Mao-hsiang Su, Council of Agriculture will offer full support to present Taiwan’s soft power to the world through the flora expo. The bulk of Taiwan’s orchid production consists of dancing-lady orchid, moth orchid and Chinese cymbidium, with a total of US$ 173 million exported last year, equivalent to NT$ 5.6 billion - a truly remarkable figure. It is hoped that countries around the world will be introduced to Taiwan’s soft power in flowers and plants via the flora expo. The aim is also to market Taiwanese orchids globally.
Deputy Director General Su indicates that the Executive Yuan has already stipulated four major targets: Solicit participation from 30 countries, attract 8 million visitors, increase floral production by 12% and directly or indirectly generate economic benefits of at least NT$ 45 billion through the flora expo. Council of Agriculture will collaborate with Taichung City Government to fulfill the four major targets.
“2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition” is ratified as a major national construction project, featuring 3 main exhibit areas: Waipu Yongfong Park Area, Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park Area and Fengyuan Huludun Park Area. The theme of GNP (Green, Nature and People) will be adopted for the flora expo. Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park Area covers an area of approximately 30.04 hectares and requires a total construction budget of NT$ 2.43 billion; the combined budget of Dazzling Flower Pavilion, Exploration Pavilion and Discovery Pavilion is NT$ 874 million; exhibit construction project requires a budget of about NT$ 384 million; Construction Bureau’s floral expo footbridge and footpath construction projects require a budget of NT$ 381 million. Usage license for the entire park area and access roads is expected to be issued in late July 2018, and the projects are slated for completion before the end of August 2018. Soft opening and official opening of the flora expo will be conducted in September and November 2018 respectively.
According to Department of Tourism, Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park Area is divided into the Forest Park and Horse Ranch area. The Forest Park Area is the site of a former barracks, featuring abundant flora resources; therefore, the development concept of the park will be inspired by the forest cycle. There are 2 temporary exhibit pavilions in the park, including Exploration Pavilion and Discovery Pavilion to enshroud visitors in “Forest Garden” like ambiance during the flora expo.
The Horse Ranch Park Area is reconstructed from an old horse ranch, where necessary modifications were made in response to the flora expo. Vestiges of the horse ranch’s past are preserved and former luster of the locale restored to give meaningful rebirth to Houli Horse Ranch, thereby creating a brand new recreational experience for the visitors. The park area includes two permanent exhibit pavilions: Dazzling Flower Pavilion and Equestrian Competition Park. Through 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition, the park area is transformed into a “Horse Ranch Flower Paradise” theme park by merging the elements of “horse” and “flora”.