The side exhibition area of the 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taichung attracted about one million visitors within the first ten days. With the installation of International IP lanterns of star characters capsule toys from “Shakurel Planet” and “Tropical Fruit Bird,” a 65-day long romantic show of a Forest of Lights. Domestic visitors have been attracted to visit the side exhibition area both day and night. Several tour operators have actively made contact to inquire about relevant information, thus the tourism and consumption economic value of Taichung City have been successfully promoted.
According to the Bureau of Tourism and Travel of Taichung City, the side exhibition area is located in Nantun District where it is surrounded with various cultural and tourism destinations including the Rainbow Village, Fa-Tzu Riverway, Leh Cherng Temple and the National Taichung Theater. The gourmet foods on Nantun Historical Street are something that visitors should not miss. Especially, when the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, popular shopping districts in Taichung such as Fengjia, Dalong, Jingming 1st St., MOFA Lane, Yizhong, Tianjin and Jiguang can satisfy various needs for foods, dried goods and clothing. In Taichung, visitors can enjoy the lantern festival and shop for the Lunar New Year at the same time.
The Bureau of Tourism and Travel mentioned that stores with a hundred years of history on Nantun Historical Street that sell colter, rice cracker, pastry and toys inherit the authentic style on “Taichung’s 1st Street,” Wanhe St. At a distance of a 10-minute walk to Wenxin Forest Park, Gongyi Rd. features Taichung’s famous local gourmet snacks that satisfy every food lover.
Fengle Sculpture Park in Nantun is Taiwan’s first “public sculpture park” occupying 6.4 hectares and consisting of the waterfront area, children’s playground, walking path, and 52 pieces of outdoor sculpture artworks. In the children’s playground, there are hill-shaped terrazzo slides, bird-nest swings, sand pits and “fun running field” for energetic children and their parents.
For families traveling with kids, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMOFA) and the affiliated Children’s Drawing Book Area (closed for the Eve and day of the Lunar New Year) is an ideal destination to explore aesthetic experiences and appreciate artworks. The Zhongxin Market that has been transformed from a traditional market into the headquarters of cultural and creative industry is located at the opposite alley of NTMOFA which features Taiwan’s coolest tape and record stores, art galleries, café, antique shops and independent book stores. Surprises are waiting for you at each turn.
Based on the theme of cultural and creative industry, Shen Ji New Village links up with Park Lane and cultural and creative stores near the NTMOFA, presenting Taichung City’s corridor of cultural and creative industry to develop soft strength of the youth in exciting aspects of life, production, and ecosystem.
Do you expect more after visiting the side exhibition area? You can then visit Wanggaoliao, the highest peak of Dadu Plateau, for the perfect night view of Taichung City where rich visual enjoyment including the perfect night view of light in Taichung Port, the plane south to Dadu Creek in Changhua, and downtown Taichung.