Embrace happiness with open arms. Home coming with joy. Asian superstar Richie Jen Hsien-Chi will sing at the homecoming concert in Changhua to spend a warm and hearty year end celebration with you. “2020 Embrace with Open Arms: Happiness Comes to Changhua”, the year-end gala will be held at Changhua County Stadium on December 19, 2020. A promotional press conference was held at the courtyard of the county government on the 9th. Magistrate Wang Hui-Mei would like to invite people in Taiwan to visit Changhua, enjoying gourmet food, listening to music, and enjoying the exciting and awesome fireworks release in the night sky. This year, there will be activities, such as “Strolling Fair”, “Glutinous Rice Balls Tasting”, and “The Homecoming of Changhua Super Star Concert”. With these activities, after the epidemic, people are invited to gather at the end of 2020 to pray for a better 2021 to feel warmth and happiness. Sponsoring the year end evening gala for the second time, and affected by the epidemic worldwide, the event will be exceptionally meaningful. At the end of 2020, it is hoped that folks could thank the people contributing to their jobs with thanksgiving hearts so that Taiwan can be relatively safe and happy. It is also necessary to thank all the people dedicated to this piece of land and for their cooperation in anti-epidemic measures. It helps make Changhua a warm and happy place. The magistrate would like to take this opportunity to invite people to gather and celebrate in the gala. Starting at 2:00 pm, the “Strolling Fair” will greet people as the first activity. At 4:00 pm, people will have the opportunity to join in “Glutinous Rice Balls Tasting” so that people may warm themselves up with these tasty snacks in the cold of winter. From 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, it will be the highlight of the evening – “The Homecoming of Changhua Super Star Concert”. The battle drum performance and lion dance show presented by Taiwan Feihorng-goan will announce the commencement of the evening show. With exciting programs, the cross-over rock band ZenKwun, Chuang Chuan-yin (Ball), melFlow, Henry Hsu, the “Million Prince”, Nine Chen, the song writer singer, and the major appeal of the concert Asian Super Star Richie Jen Hsien-Chi. Richei Jen returned specially to his hometown Changhua and went through home isolation just to perform in this show. Highly expected, the show will be exciting and inspiring. In addition, at the end of the activity, there will be 480 seconds of fireworks release in the night sky. The fireworks will present glamorous sparkles to light up visitors in the venue. The gala will not only be the homecoming event of a Changhua superstar, but also a grand event sponsored in collaboration will all members of the Changhua County Tourism Industry Association. It is hoped that it will help us uplift ourselves from the gloomy atmosphere of the epidemic. When visiting the shops on the day of the Year End Evening Gala, there will be free tickets, bonus gifts, gifts at a certain sum of purchase, big discounts, buy one get one free, and other freebies. SA Pick-Up Service, a member of the association, will present super discount pick up services from Taichung to Changhua County with advanced booking. On December 18, Changhua County government will light up lamps at Baquashan Blessing Lamp Zone, lighting up enchanting international lamps and lanterns, symbolizing the prayer ceremony in different parts of the world. We welcome people to visit Changhua County, watch lanterns, and make prayers. It is hoped to welcome 2021 with the brightest and the most enthusiastic spirits. Great offers by the members of Changhua County Tourism Industry Association (bonuses as follow): ★Ribbon Museum → 10% discount on ribbons and other merchandise (food not included). ★ J. Wood Garden → 10% discount on all DIY items. ★ Taiwan Yougoods School of Cookies → Christmas red and green matching discount: 10% discount on all items. No limit on quantity. ★ Ximai Baking Kingdom and Tourism Factory → 10% discount on all items in the shop. ★ Evin’s Color Fun Gallery → Big discount on selected Christmas party items and magic creative sticker sets. ★ Yang Jia Shiang (Yang Food Ltd.) → Add LINE friends when buying at the shop. People will be presented with a voucher at NTD 100 for each consumption at NTD 600 or more. ★ Root Stock → Strolling in the featured fair. ★ SA Pick-Up Service → Pickup from addresses in Taichung and Changhua, one-day tour at NTD 4,200.

The “2020 Ershui International Water Festival” is going to be held from October 31 to November 1. Three irons: “iron road – railroad, iron horse – bicycle, and iron legs – light travel” are the 3-in-1 elements of this year’s Water Festival. An antique steam locomotive, CK124, will depart from Changhua Rail Station to announce the commencement of the festival. There will also be exciting activities waiting for you, including the Ershui gourmet feast, Water Heart Halloween Prairie Party, the first grassland concert, tribute to volunteers concert, Ershui Water Marathon, etc. We welcome you all to visit Ershui and join us in these Water Festival activities to enjoy the magnificent landscape, nice people, green mountains and clear water in Ershui. When purchasing in Changhua with a stimulus voucher, people can join the monthly lucky draw. In the activities, popular singers, including PikA Qiu, Ann (an internet celebrity with more than 100 million hits), Shi Shi (a super singer), Olivia Tsao (a million-dollar singer that won 20 stages in a singing contest), Jing Chang (champion in a star singing contest), Afalean Lufiz (a Star Gang singer), etc, are going to perform in turn, boosting the mood to the climax. On October 31, they are going to celebrate the festival with us from 2:30 pm until 9:00 pm, turning Ershui into a sleepless city. The theme of this year’s festival is “Running Back to the Steam Age. Remembrance of an Ershui Legend.” Ershui Township is the starting point of the Chichi Branch Line, with the only bikeway that allows cyclists to compete with trains in Taiwan. Associating the bikeway with the Water Festival, the “Three Irons Water Mini Tour” is presented. During the festival, the water level of Babao Canal will be controlled to allow people get down the canal to race with the water running along the canal after them and invite a fortune. This will be a great opportunity to all. You are welcome to join this great activity. Integrating the traditional and modern, a series of blessing activities with local features will be held. Changhua’s son-in-law LoganDBeck, an American internet celebrity, is going to join the water festival. Local participation in these activities will be conducted through international exchange to allow the continuation of the legacy and promote the folk festivals of Changhua. In “Tricycle Market”, there will be tricycle stalls, different from the fixed booths in the past, to highlight the rural features. This year, with the campaign “Double your Consumption Voucher – Double NT$100 into NT$200”, people can exchange consumption vouchers at the value of NT$200 with NT$100. Visitors can use the voucher in both major and minor sites to make the activities more versatile. In the festival, there will be a Railway Carnival, Hiking on Black Soil, Creative Water Running – Canal Show, and Running Water Dream Market – an agricultural products fair, and DIY experience activities saturated with local features, etc. Of course, there will be the “Bike Contest” inviting people to join the Water Festival. It provides people with opportunities to understand more about Babao Canal, experience local culture, and experience a leisure and LOHAS tour to enjoy themselves wandering among the fields in Ershui.

As the coronavirus outbreak is likely to remain under control and the related epidemic restrictions continue to ease, in order to help the tourism industry in Changhua survive from the epidemic, Changhua County Government held a press conference on "Restart Changhua Tourism at the end of Epidemic" at the square of Great Buddha on Mt. Bagua in the morning of June 2nd. The collaboration between the county government and private sectors will be started from June 15th to September 15th, calling on the private sectors among each Changhua county attractions to sponsor a 2 days and 1 night trip to invite 100 epidemic prevention heroes from Central and Changhua County Epidemic Command Center to visit Changhua. The county government provides meals while the local company, Shiang-An Bus, provides free shuttle bus service, Red Hotel in Yuanlin provides 100 rooms and the shops in Changhua attractions provide specialties.

Lukang is one of the cultural hearth of Taiwan. This ancient and charming town has attracted large numbers of citizens and international tourists. For this reason, in order to build an international friendly tourism environment in Lukang, to enhance tourism carrying capacity for international passengers, and to continue the achievements of the basic tour courses in Lukang District previous held by Changhua Government, the county government specially plans to open the advanced Lukang tour guide training courses and service quality improvement courses from May to July of 2020. During the outbreak of pneumonia (Wuhan pneumonia), tour guides and tourism companies in the county may have more free time to participant in the training to enhance their own competitiveness. Through this effort, it is expected to provide tourists an international level tourism environment, and further to improve the international popularity and tourist attraction of Changhua and Lukang areas.

ukang Temple Square Business Zone collaborates to present you with big discount coupons. Now, you just need to spend a few coins to enjoy many of the good foods sold at Lukang Temple Square. Come and spend your weekend with a good food tour at the Old Street saturated with a humanistic atmosphere.

Due to the elevated conditions of COVID 19, for the purpose of epidemic prevention and safeguarding people’s health, TRA Changhua Administration, MOTC announced that “the Roundhouse will be closed temporarily from April 13, 2020. It will be re-opened as soon as the Taiwan Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare announces the slowdown of the epidemic. Apologies for the inconvenience during the epidemic.

Changhua County Government has set up 8 themed outdoor attractions that everyone can enjoy, be it for taking selfies, family outings, exploring the great outdoors through hiking, or cycling to chase the wind. If you are interested in venturing outdoors to improve your immune system, Changhua County Magistrate Hui-mei Wang suggests making a trip to Changhua County to admire the flowers. Don’t forget to practice good personal hygiene for epidemic prevention by washing your hands frequently, wearing a mask, and engaging in personal health management. 1. “New Spotlight for Flower Watching and Check-ins” Blooming romance: Hollyhock Flowers in Yuanlin Secret Edition of Bald Cypress Avenue: Cheng Mei Culture Park Paradise for Relocated Old Trees: Wangjing Art Garden, Xizhou 2. Idyllic Mountain Trail Mountains and valleys filled with beautiful Tung blossoms: Yuanlin Tengshan Trail Picturesque views of the stars and birds, romantic observation platforms, look out over distant mountains and rolling plains: Changching Hiking Trail 3. Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Lychee theme park: Alice’s Garden Magical setting for romantic bridal photos: Colorglass Fairyland Dinosaur theme park with VR and interactive family playgrounds: Baiguo Mountain Exploration Paradise Taiwan's City of Flowers: Tianwei Highway Garden (8-Distance, Country Cactus, Taiwan’s Kochia Bush) Sugar factory mini-locomotive: Xihu Sugar Factory 4. Cultural tour Two centuries of history: Lukang Old Street (Lukang Lung-shan Temple, bustling local market, specialty produce and delicious food) National historic building built over four hundred years ago: Lugang Mazu Temple Japanese-style dormitories, artistic makeovers, and local charm: Gui Hua Lane Art Village 5.Coastal Experience Camp Unique experiences for all of Taiwan: Oyster harvesting by ox-cart, treasure hunting at Wanggong Old Street, exploring Wanggong Fishing Harbour, Fangyuan Light House and scenic bridge, take in the sights of the west coast, sample the seafood, and even relive your childhood by rolling up your trousers and tramping through the mud of the littoral belt! 6.Recreational farms Cute llamas and romantic landscaping: Tonight the Stars in Changhua Front-row views of Yingxingshan: Yirui Shanjing Farm Freshest milk and dairy products: Dashan Farm Farming village overflowing with agricultural produce: Dongluo River Leisure Farm 7.LOHAS Tour of Changhua City The last historic building of its kind in Taiwan still in operation: Fan-shaped Train Garage Famous landmark of Changhua: Baguashan Buddha Where nature meets art and culture: Baguashan Skywalk Father of modern Taiwanese literature: Lai He Poetry Wall 8.Bike Path for Cycling Tours Follow the train tracks along the picturesque “Jiji Branch Line”: Ershui Tourism Biking Trail Connecting the sights along Changhua County Highway No. 139: Baguashan Scenic Area Bike Lane Follow the ridge lines of Tianzhong and Shetou to ride Taiwan’s first bike path: Changching Bike Lane

Epidemic prevention comes first. Changhua County decided to suspend the “2020 Lukang Dragon Boat Festival” Due to the serious conditions of COVID-19 in Taiwan, Magistrate Wang, Hui-Mei of Changhua County gathered local opinions. After careful consideration, she announced the suspension of the “2020 Lukang Dragon Boat Festival”. In the future, the county government will focus on the works of epidemic prevention with all possible resources. Epidemic prevention is the priority now. The county government will collaborate with country residents to fight against COVID-19. Surviving the epidemic safely is the major concern. It is a pity to suspend the Lukang Dragon Boat Festival. Nevertheless, the wellbeing of country residents is more important because epidemic prevention is a war against the virus. It is now the first priority in the administrative goals. Magistrate Wang, Hui-Mei would like to express her gratitude to councilor Tu, Shu-Mei, the director of the Dragon Boat Festival Committee, for her dedication. She would also like to thank the local governments for supporting county government’ policy with one heart. All administrative personnel and folks collaborate to demonstrate the power to promote epidemic prevention works. Magistrate Wang expects the 2021 Lukang Dragon Boat Festival will be presented to all with new features.

This morning (24th) was an auspicious day as it was “February 2, Dragon Raising its Head” according to the Agricultural Calendar. As a prelude to the Dragon King Ceremony, the divination blocks were cast at Lungshan Temple in Lukang to set the date for the “2020 Lukang Dragon Boat Festival - Dragon King Ceremony” and the dragon boat launching ceremony on May 30. The International Dragon Boat Championship will also be held over three consecutive days: June 23, June 24 and June 25 (May 5 by the Agricultural Calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival, and the date of the grand final) as part of the 2020 Lukang Dragon Boat Festival. On the day of the Dragon King Ceremony, the Dragon King will be invited out of Lungshan Temple. The Lukang Dragon Boat Festival will open with street parades by community groups, followed by the International Dragon Boat Championship held on Fulu River. The county government, the Dragon Boat Committee of the Changhua County Sports Committee, and town office will ensure all the preparations are in place. Interested residents are encouraged to prepare early for the dragon boat races and take part in the annual Lukang Dragon Boat Festival. The dragon boat race finals were usually held on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. As the Dragon Boat Festival will be a 4-day long weekend this year, the divination blocks were cast to pick the best days, and it was decided to hold the finals on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. Lukang Dragon Boat Festival is a tradition that goes back more than 40 years. Residents are welcome to take advantage of the long weekend to take part in the festivities. There used to be 11 dragon boats for the Dragon King Ceremony. As even numbers are more auspicious, a new dragon boat was recruited from Data win company in Changbin Industrial Park. A total of 12 dragon boats will therefore welcome the Dragon King this year. Lukang boasts the only waterway capable in central Taiwan capable of hosting large dragon boat races. The “Dragon King Ceremony” that has been held for more than 40 years will serve as the opening event for the “Lukang Dragon Boat Festival.” To pray for the success of the dragon boat races, the “Dragon King” idol from Lungshan Temple is paraded every year before the races. The “Water Immortal King” from Tianhou Temple is also invited to join the parade and watch over the races at the venue. This particular folk custom is unique in all of Taiwan. On the day of the “Dragon King Ceremony,” the dragon boats and parade formations will accompany the Dragon King on his circuit. The “Dragon King Ceremony - Blessing and Launch Ritual” will kick off the Lukang Dragon Boat Festival as well. “Lukang Dragon Boat Festival” is considered one of the top 10 festivals in Taiwan. It is the oldest and largest Dragon Boat festival in the country, and a world-class event promoted internationally by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications. A series of exciting events will be held during the festival as well. Dragon boat racing, local folk celebrations, and the Lukang arts festival will all welcome the Dragon Boat Festival. The “International Dragon Boat Championship”, “Traditional Opera Performances” and “Master Luban Banquet” will all demonstrate the heritage and vitality of Lukang Township. Tourists will be able to enjoy the beauty of historic buildings, and sample the delicious market food. Altogether, the celebrations will embody the slogan “The Dragon King Moves, Bringing Prosperity to Changhua; Good Fortune in All Things, The Charms of Lukang!” County Magistrate Hui-Mei Wang invites everyone in Taiwan to stop by Changhua to “see the dragon boats, enjoy the food, admire the historic buildings, and play with folk customs.”

New Addition to the Changhua County Muslim Industry Chain! The “Magical Mushrooms Tribe” leisure farm in Puxin Township, Changhua County was certified as a Muslim Friendly Environment by the “International Muslim Tourism Industry Development Association” in December last year (2019) and was presented with the certificate yesterday (18th). The Magical Mushrooms Tribe is the first business in Changhua County to be certified as an environment suitable for Muslim recreation and leisure. According to Magical Mushrooms Tribe, the farm attracts crowds of visitors every weekend. The giant mushroom-shaped ticketing booth by the road is its most distinctive landmark, while the farm itself contains many family-friendly activities and facilities including the fungus cultivation area, event lawn, health restaurant, specialty shops, mini-locomotive, and DIY spaces. The founder quit his high-paying job and became a mushroom farmer because he loved eating mushrooms so much. Knowing that traditional cultivation relies on heavy use of chemicals to control pests and bacteria, he focused on the cultivation of organic mushrooms. He not only traveled around the world to study different methods of cultivation but also made the promotion of family leisure, eco-tourism and LOHAS cuisine his goals. The Magical Mushrooms Tribe leisure farm was established in 2009 and has now obtained the Muslim Friendly Environment certification. Halal restaurant certification is now being applied for as well. People of all ages as well as followers of Islam are welcome to come explore the world of fungi in Taiwan and embark on a fun fungus journey. The Changhua County Government Department of City and Tourism said that the 1.8 billion Muslims in the world accounted for approximately one-quarter of the global population. Around 60% live in Asia as well. Last year, more than 660,000 visitors to Taiwan came from major Muslim countries in Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia. The county government has been actively promoting Muslim-related certifications to help Changhua County businesses take advantage of the global Muslim market. The “2020 Changhua County Symposium on Muslim Tourism” held in February 13 this year provided businesses with an overview of current Muslim tourism in Taiwan, hosting tips, and halal-certification. The symposium was enthusiastically received by 46 local businesses and improved their understanding of Muslim tourist culture, taboos, dietary habits and certification information. The county government will continue to assist businesses with obtaining Muslim-related certification. The county government hopes that its promotion of certifications will progressively build a Muslim friendly environment. In the future, it plans to connect the tourism resources of nearby regions such as Taichung City, Nantou County, and Yunlin County to expand travel itineraries from points to counties and then to entire regions. The building of tourism word-of-mouth among Muslim tourists will help win them over so they can eat without fear and play to their hearts’ content when they come to Changhua.