Administrator：YANG, MING-HAO, Hakka Affairs Section, Culture and Tourism Bureau
Contact：037-352961, ext.313
To show the outcome of the Hakka cultural revitalization on Provincial Highway No.3, the Hakka Affairs Council and Miaoli County Government co-host the series of exhibitions and events for the first “Romantic Route 3”, with themes including waterway, highway, and trail. From October 19 to December 15, the event will take place in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taichung. The two events, “Dawo Tunnel Drain Land Art Festival” and “Shitan Old Time．Hakka Walk” will be grandly held in Miaoli County, starting in late October.
The Hakka Affairs Council points out that the “Romantic Route 3” that spans five counties, including Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taichung, nine townships, and 150km will be opened from October 19 to December 15. The large art festival lasting for 58 days will take place in Longtan in Taoyuan, Beipu, Hengshan, Zhudong, Guanxi, Emei in Hsinchu, Dahu and Shitan of Miaoli, Dongshi in Taichung, and Taipei while simultaneously exhibiting 58 artworks and land art by 56 artists from 6 countries and presenting more than 100 cultural exploration experiences to share the most romantic lifestyle with the public by combining the spirit of placemaking.
Magistrate HSU, YAO-CHANG stated that Dawo, located in the Dahu Township, has developed into an ecological park with both tourist and educational functions with its unique tunnel drain landscape. The park has a strong Hakka and indigenous cultural atmosphere and the unique and abundant natural ecological landscape. The event, “Dawo Tunnel Drain Land Art Festival –Water Woven Fields”, is held on the treasure-like land. Along the tunnel drain, the artists Eleng Luluan, Iyo Kacaw, Feng Cheng-Tsung, and Weng Yi-Han have set up four land artworks. During the event, visitors can also enjoy the tunnel drain and five senses experiences of “sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell”. At 2:30 pm on October 26, the opening ceremony and concert will take place at the Sanliangsan Parking Lot in Dawo that will include praying for blessings from and showing gratitude to the God of Land and God of Water through the beautiful and solemn ceremony. The Golden Melody Award winners, Ayugo Huang, Huang Wei-Jie, Ilid Kaolo, Lo Yin Yin, and Vivien Loh are invited to perform at the concert while taking turns performing at the locations where the land artworks are organized.
Magistrate HSU, YAO-CHANG also stated that the Raknus Selu Trail name derived from the history of camphor cultivation, which once prospered along the trail. Many natural scenes and cultural stories have been preserved in this region. With the background of Shitan’s history, culture, and environment, the event “Shitan Old Time．Hakka Walk” is held during the art festival. At the entrance of the Zhonglou and Mingfeng Old Trail, Tsai Yu-Tian, Lin Qi-Zhen, Lin Bing-Jun, and Shen Hong-Chin have been invited to make four land artworks. The free “Raknus Selu Trail Old Trail Experience” including the Mingfeng Old Trail, Xiai Old Trail, and the old street tour will be open for registration at 8 am on October 23. To register, please search the “Romantic Route 3- Raknus Selu Trail Old Trail Experience” online or visit the website as follows: https://www.accupass.com/go/shitanancientroad.
The “Green Old Trail Style Market” will also take place on the large lawn beside the Mingfeng Old Trail (entrance at the Xinfeng Bridge) on November 16 and 17. A concert including performances from the Golden Melody singer Liang Wen-yin, Hakka band Churros Pot, Hakka singers Huang Yu-Juan and Chen Meng-Qiao, and the indigenous band, Bei Yuan Shan Mao will be held. Tea will be served at the market and two ecological guided tours will be available for all visitors interested (13:00/15:30).