In welcoming the Taichung World Flora Exposition, Information Bureau of Taichung City Government held the “2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition Mascot Unveiling Press Conference” on the 13th, where the imagery of the forest was introduced to the City Hall to create the “Leopard Cat’s Home” showroom at the atrium on the first floor of Wenxin building. The showroom is open now until July 29 from 09:00 to 18:00 everyday (including holidays), and all families are invited to explore the secret habitat of leopard cats.
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.
“Hi kids, what does the leopard cat dad do?” Mayor Lin accompanied numerous children to visit “Leopard Cat’s Home” and explained the characteristics of the leopard cat family in detail. According to Mayor Lin, leopard cat dad is a farmer who loves leopard mom’s Taichung pastries; big sister Love is full of curiosity about the world, and she likes to run around with her baby brother Life, both of them are adorable and full of energy.
“Welcome to the leopard cat’s home!” Mayor Lin suggested that the leopard cat’s home is officially open until July 29, all citizens – particularly school children – are welcome. He also expressed thanks to the Paper Windmill Theater for creating the realistic showroom in so many days and nights, so that the adorable leopard cats can have a home that is full of love and warmth.
Information Bureau Director Kuan-ting Cho thanked the Paper Windmill Theater for spending so many days to meticulously create the 28 m long, 7.5 m wide and 5 m tall realistic showroom. In an effort to make the experience as authentic as possible for the public, the city government has utilized real branches as part of the construction material to design a tree hole at the entrance. This is complemented by forest landscape and trail to form a genuine urban tree house that incorporates ecology, forest and leopard cats.
According to the Information Bureau, “Leopard Cat’s Home” was constructed by the Paper Windmill Theater to mimic a forest setting. The leopard cats’ habitat is re-created within the 2-story tall and 300 m2 space. After entering through the tree hole, visitor will find themselves inside a spacious forest, and they will discover the trails of the leopard cat family, including dad, mom, Love and Life. In addition, they can also see their old horse neighbor “Oumima”, who has come to visit the leopard cats and is busy in the toilet. There are also other animals hiding in the forest.
Furthermore, the showroom also features leopard cat dad’s garden and orchard, as well as leopard cat mom’s pastry kitchen. If the visitors follow the stairs leading to the second floor, they will feel as if they are riding in a hot air balloon that is ascending gradually, offering them a commanding view of the entire forest. The showroom is full of surprises for the visitors in every corner.
The flora expo is held from November 3, 2018 until April 24, 2019, and “Leopard Cat’s Home” showroom will be on exhibit from now until July 29 at the atrium on the first floor of Wenxin building from 09:00 to 18:00 every day, including holidays, so everyone is invited to explore the installation and befriend the mascots.