Taichung City will be hosting the World Flora Expo next year across Houli, Waipu and Fengyuan. In supporting the event, other districts will also help to create a garden imagery in hopes of attracting domestic and foreign visitors. According to Taichung City Government, the World Flora Expo is not only a world-class exhibition but also Taichung’s urban transformation movement, hence it is hoped that concerted efforts from the city government and the public will leave behind wonderful legacies for the city, in turn instilling a sense of honor among the citizens and reinforcing the city’s image.

Using green, nature and people as World Flora Expo elements, the city government has also upheld the spirit pf “1+2+10+N”, where 1 represents Houli, the main exhibition area; 2 represents secondary exhibition areas including Fengyuan and Waibu; 10 represents the features of 10 surrounding areas; N symbolizes the infinite benefits generated by the Flora Expo. By coordinating the “Garden City” urban transformation movement through the Flora Expo, various constructions are underway, including exhibition halls, access roads and landscaping, thereby generating benefits that will continue to expand, resulting in more citizens participating in the event.

In addition, the city government also dredged 1.8km section of Ruan Bi Zai River in Fengyuan, stretching from Sanhuan Road to Fengyuan Boulevard. Besides improving water quality and reutilization, floral landscape, herb labyrinth and vine tunnels are designed in conjunction with the Flora Expo to create the Flora Ks Gem Park, which is slated for completion before the opening of the Flora Expo. On the other hand, Huludun Ditch uncovering project has also commenced, aside from improving flood prevention and drainage, an accessible waterfront trail, large stretch of grass-covered land and cultural plaza are also constructed to create a high quality waterfront space. These facilities are combined with the Flora Expo and Fengyuan Station reconstruction project to generate local developments.

According to the city government, the Flora Expo is not just a one-off event, it is an opportunity to change, and thus the sustainable usage of the exhibition halls is confirmed before planning the exhibitions. Hosting of the Flora Expo is based on the concept of “venue rental”, where the development of subsequent infrastructure in transportation, economy, tourism and industry will remain after the Flora Expo to generate sustainable local developments. The intention is to transform Taichung into a garden city and present the beauty of Taiwan to the global community via the Flora Expo.

The Flora Expo was supposed to be held only in Houli, but with the discovery of endangered leopard cats, 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. Taichung City Government’s endeavors in protecting wildlife and ecological conservation received acknowledgment from the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), which upgraded the “Taichung International Flora Exposition” to “Taichung World Flora Exposition”.

According to the city government, leopard cat conservation and the creation of a garden city serve to enhance the positive image of Taichung City. The city government hopes to establish more livable conditions for the city, thereby attracting more people to visit and even stay in Taichung.