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The 2018 Taichung World Flora Expo will be held in Houli, Fengyuan and Waipu. Taichung City Government unveiled the official mascots on the 13th, including a family of 4 leopard cats and their neighbor Omi horse. Each of them has distinct characteristics and personalities that are combined with the flora expo story to build “Leopard Cat’s Home” showroom at the City Hall on Taiwan Boulevard, hoping to let more people experience the flora expo’s spirit of ecological conservation. According to Mayor Chia-lung Lin, a series of events will be launched after the debut of the mascots; besides the Leopard Cat’s Home, 16 adorable leopard cat Line stickers will be available for downloading towards late June, thus everyone is welcome to embrace the flora expo and transform Taichung into a garden city.
Mayor Chia-lung Lin attended “2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition Mascot Unveiling Press Conference” accompanied by Legislator Tzu-yung Hung and City Councilor Su-chen Chiu, and other dignitaries in attendance include: Deputy Secretary-general of Taichung City Government Kun-ming Kuo, Information Bureau Director Kuan-ting Cho, Agricultural Bureau Director Chun-hsiung Wang, Civil Affairs Bureau Director Shih-yin Tsai, Tourism Office Director Shen-shan Chen, Labor Affairs Bureau Director He-ting Huang, Indigenous Peoples Commission Chairperson Mayaw Kumud, representatives from the office of City Councilors Ya-ling Tsai, Kung-chin Cheng, Cheng-hsien Chen, Paper Windmill Arts and Educational Foundation Troupe Leader Chien-cheng Jen and Performance Office Director I-chung Tsou and animation director Min-yu Chen. The lively event was also streamed live on the “2018 Taichung World Flora Expo” Facebook page.
Mayor Lin stated that “leopard cat” and “horse” are chosen as the mascot of Taichung flora expo to embody the spirit of ecological conservation and sustainable development in Taichung. He also elaborated on the reason for selecting leopard cat at the official mascot; ever since the discovery of endangered leopard cats in Houli in 2014, the city government has decided to use the opportunity to promote conservation, therefore the Houli exhibition area was reduced to preserve space for the leopard cats, while two locations (Waipu and Fengyuan) were added to make up for the diminished flora exhibition area in Houli. The concept also received acknowledgment from the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), which upgraded the “Taichung International Flora Exposition” to “Taichung World Flora Exposition” in recognition of Taichung City’s endeavors in ecological conservation.
Apart from the challenge of leopard cat conservation in Houli, the Houli Ranch Park Area also presents a major obstacle. Mayor mentioned that Houli Horse Ranch is located inside the flora expo area and has a history of over a century; therefore the city government has decided to preserve the historical relic and architecture. In order to accentuate the Taichung world flora expo’s features, unlike other countries that construct exhibition pavilions on vacant lands, Taichung City has drawn inspiration from local spatial characteristics to integrate the horse ranch and nearby sites into the flora expo exhibition area. Meanwhile, saxophone, a symbol of Houli, has also been incorporated into the design of the mascot – old “Omi Horse” as a symbol of sustainability. The grand event will leave behind invaluable legacies for the local community, as Houli Horse Ranch will not only be preserved, it will be transformed into the largest international equestrian center in Asia. The Waipu exhibit area will become an international agricultural innovation park, while the Fengyuan exhibit area will be converted into a pastry museum. Furthermore, transport network developed for the flora expo will also increase transport and tourism volume.
Mayor Lin expects to encourage the public to listen to the “Sound of Blooming” through the event, in turn appreciating the philosophy conveyed by the flora expo. He extended invitation to travelers from all over the world to attend the flora expo in Taichung. Taichung world flora expo is unique in that it demonstrates the characteristics of ecological conservation and cultural preservation. Moreover, the leopard cat and horse were chosen to represent the spirit of the event. Mayor Lin expressed his appreciation for the assistance of Paper Windmill Theatre and other parties in facilitating the success of all flora expo related activities in the future.
Information Bureau Director Kuan-ting Cho suggested that the Taichung flora expo’s mascot was designed by animation director Min-yu Che, who is also known as “Miyazaki Hayao of Taiwan”. Of the leopard cat family, leopard cat dad is a farmer who is passionate about botany and often helps to resolve problems between animals and plants. Leopard mom is a skillful pastry chef who loves to develop new flavors, and her Taichung pastries are leopard cat dad’s favorite food. Leopard cat mom is the smartest member in the family who always raises the right questions and offers affirmation at the right time.
The leopard cat siblings Love and Life are the gems of the family. The older sister Love is full of life and an assertive “little grownup” always letting her imaginations roaming free in her fantasy world. She also likes to embark on adventures with Life, her little brother. Life is always full of curiosity about everything around him and asking “why”. He brings joy and laughter to the family; flowers and fruits are his favorites, thus he is often attracted by flowers on the roadside when exploring with his older sister.
The leopard cat family’s neighbor – old “Omi Horse” is a beekeeper who loves to help fruit farmers to pollinate their orchards. In his spare time, he likes to play the saxophone alone in his garden. His music emanates a hint of nostalgia and homesickness, and the knowledgeable Omi Horse is always able to explain the secrets and principles of the Universe to the kids.
According to the Information Bureau, after the mascot are unveiled, LINE stickers will also be released at the end of June featuring different motions and adorable facial expressions of the leopard cat family and Omi Horse. The stickers encapsulate the daily lives of the mascots, including the leopard cat mom’s fury and the exclusive image of Omi Horse using the toilet. Downloading information for the Line stickers will be announced later on the flora expo official website (http://2018floraexpo.tw/) and Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/2018taichungexpo/?fref=ts).
Adorable leopard cat family unveiled as official mascots of Taichung world flora expo
Mayor Chia-lung Lin attended “2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition Mascot Unveiling Press Conference” accompanied by Legislator Tzu-yung Hung and City Councilor Su-chen Chiu, and other dignitaries in attendance include: Deputy Secretary-general of Taichung City Government Kun-ming Kuo, Information Bureau Director Kuan-ting Cho, Agricultural Bureau Director Chun-hsiung Wang, Civil Affairs Bureau Director Shih-yin Tsai, Tourism Office Director Shen-shan Chen, Labor Affairs Bureau Director He-ting Huang, Indigenous Peoples Commission Chairperson Mayaw Kumud, representatives from the office of City Councilors Ya-ling Tsai, Kung-chin Cheng, Cheng-hsien Chen, Paper Windmill Arts and Educational Foundation Troupe Leader Chien-cheng Jen and Performance Office Director I-chung Tsou and animation director Min-yu Chen. The lively event was also streamed live on the “2018 Taichung World Flora Expo” Facebook page.
Mayor Lin stated that “leopard cat” and “horse” are chosen as the mascot of Taichung flora expo to embody the spirit of ecological conservation and sustainable development in Taichung. He also elaborated on the reason for selecting leopard cat at the official mascot; ever since the discovery of endangered leopard cats in Houli in 2014, the city government has decided to use the opportunity to promote conservation, therefore the Houli exhibition area was reduced to preserve space for the leopard cats, while two locations (Waipu and Fengyuan) were added to make up for the diminished flora exhibition area in Houli. The concept also received acknowledgment from the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), which upgraded the “Taichung International Flora Exposition” to “Taichung World Flora Exposition” in recognition of Taichung City’s endeavors in ecological conservation.
Apart from the challenge of leopard cat conservation in Houli, the Houli Ranch Park Area also presents a major obstacle. Mayor mentioned that Houli Horse Ranch is located inside the flora expo area and has a history of over a century; therefore the city government has decided to preserve the historical relic and architecture. In order to accentuate the Taichung world flora expo’s features, unlike other countries that construct exhibition pavilions on vacant lands, Taichung City has drawn inspiration from local spatial characteristics to integrate the horse ranch and nearby sites into the flora expo exhibition area. Meanwhile, saxophone, a symbol of Houli, has also been incorporated into the design of the mascot – old “Omi Horse” as a symbol of sustainability. The grand event will leave behind invaluable legacies for the local community, as Houli Horse Ranch will not only be preserved, it will be transformed into the largest international equestrian center in Asia. The Waipu exhibit area will become an international agricultural innovation park, while the Fengyuan exhibit area will be converted into a pastry museum. Furthermore, transport network developed for the flora expo will also increase transport and tourism volume.
Mayor Lin expects to encourage the public to listen to the “Sound of Blooming” through the event, in turn appreciating the philosophy conveyed by the flora expo. He extended invitation to travelers from all over the world to attend the flora expo in Taichung. Taichung world flora expo is unique in that it demonstrates the characteristics of ecological conservation and cultural preservation. Moreover, the leopard cat and horse were chosen to represent the spirit of the event. Mayor Lin expressed his appreciation for the assistance of Paper Windmill Theatre and other parties in facilitating the success of all flora expo related activities in the future.
Information Bureau Director Kuan-ting Cho suggested that the Taichung flora expo’s mascot was designed by animation director Min-yu Che, who is also known as “Miyazaki Hayao of Taiwan”. Of the leopard cat family, leopard cat dad is a farmer who is passionate about botany and often helps to resolve problems between animals and plants. Leopard mom is a skillful pastry chef who loves to develop new flavors, and her Taichung pastries are leopard cat dad’s favorite food. Leopard cat mom is the smartest member in the family who always raises the right questions and offers affirmation at the right time.
The leopard cat siblings Love and Life are the gems of the family. The older sister Love is full of life and an assertive “little grownup” always letting her imaginations roaming free in her fantasy world. She also likes to embark on adventures with Life, her little brother. Life is always full of curiosity about everything around him and asking “why”. He brings joy and laughter to the family; flowers and fruits are his favorites, thus he is often attracted by flowers on the roadside when exploring with his older sister.
The leopard cat family’s neighbor – old “Omi Horse” is a beekeeper who loves to help fruit farmers to pollinate their orchards. In his spare time, he likes to play the saxophone alone in his garden. His music emanates a hint of nostalgia and homesickness, and the knowledgeable Omi Horse is always able to explain the secrets and principles of the Universe to the kids.
According to the Information Bureau, after the mascot are unveiled, LINE stickers will also be released at the end of June featuring different motions and adorable facial expressions of the leopard cat family and Omi Horse. The stickers encapsulate the daily lives of the mascots, including the leopard cat mom’s fury and the exclusive image of Omi Horse using the toilet. Downloading information for the Line stickers will be announced later on the flora expo official website (http://2018floraexpo.tw/) and Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/2018taichungexpo/?fref=ts).
- Data update: 2019-07-01
- Publish Date: 2017-06-21
- Source: Information Bureau of Taichung City Government
- Hit Count: 146