NATAS Holidays 2018 will be held at the Singapore Expo for 3 days, starting on August 17. To cooperate with the New South Policy of the Tourism Bureau, MOTC, Changhua County is going to participate in the expo with its own booth. According to the statistics of the Tourism Bureau, MOTC, the number of Singaporean visitors coming to Taiwan has been growing over the past 5 years. In 2017, it reached 425,577. Compared with that in 2013, 364,733, there has been growth of 16.68%. According to the Director-General Lin Xin-ren of the Taiwan Visitors Association, Singapore Office, Singapore has a population of 4 million people. Last year, 420,000 people visiting Taiwan. In short, one tenth of its people visited Taiwan last year. This year is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Taiwan Visitors Association, Singapore Office. Reminiscing about the new establishment of this office in the Autumn of 1978, there were only 40,000 Singaporeans visiting Taiwan. With efforts of different sectors in Taiwan, the number of Singaporeans visiting Taiwan has been growing. It highlights the importance of Singaporean tourism in the New South Policy. This year is the key moment for the transformation of Taiwan’s tourism, which is changing from “quantity change” to “quality change.” To cooperate with the “New South Policy”, “Tourism Country Action Plan”, and deepen the “Time for Taiwan” marketing appeals – “quality, features, intelligent, and sustainability”, Changhua County joins forces with the travel agents in the county and collaborates with the J. Wood Garden to participate in the NATAS Holidays 2018. Participating in the Expo, it aims to promote Changhua and touch the hearts of Singaporean visitors.

Since Magistrate Wei Ming-ku’s inauguration, he has endeavored to promote “Green Culture and Smart Changhua.” He also emphasizes a healthy life and sporting economy, forging Changhua County into a longevity town. In this year, the Changhua County Government has specially planned the “2018 Changhua Marathon Festival”, putting 9 marathons in the county together from October to December. He is working to provide contestants with a friendly joint-registration service, design special medals, and more for the contestants. With enthusiasm, he would like to invite all local and international friends to come to Changhua and run together to learn more about the humanistic landscape of Babuza. It is estimated to attract 50,000 local and international athletes to participate in these contests, pumping NT$150 million into the sports economy. In the lobby of the 1F at the Changhua County Government building, a press conference for the starting of the “2018 Changhua Marathon Festival” was held on the 19th. Magistrate Wei Ming-ku and Deputy Magistrate Lin Ming-yu attended the conference to announce the starting of the joint-registration and the 9 running routes vote, including the popular routes Tianzhong Marathon, Love Ershui Water Marathon, and more. It will provide 500 more quotas. At the same time, the vote for the 9 most popular running routes will begin simultaneously. Each of the voters will have the chance to win a PGO motorcycle, running backpack, and more. Deputy Magistrate Lin expressed that in this year, there will be 9 “horses”, the name for the races, in Changhua County. The first one will be the Changhua 139 Marathon. The route will go through Baqua Mountain with the altitude of 400m above sea-level. Runners should have healthy and huge lungs to run the 139 Marathon. The second one will be the Fenyuan Marathon held during the Rice Noodles Festival. In fact, Fenyuan is the home of rice noodles, which are sold throughout Taiwan. Running here, contestants can have some rice noodles before continuing their contest. The third one will be the Yunlin Lions Cup sponsored by the members of the Lions Club. It is a very famous run, attracting about 10,000 contestants to run every year. The fourth one will be the Shetou County Half-marathon, which earns high acclaim every year. The fifth one will be the Tianzhong Marathon. Integrating the development of the business zone and business features, it is one of the best marathons in Changhua county. In the last year, it earned the Most Popular Award presented by the Sports Administration. Over the past years, all the spaces would be filled in seconds once its registration began. This year, it is estimated that there will be about one thousand local and international contestants signing up for this marathon. The sixth one will be Love Ershui Water Marathon. Integrating the Running Water Festival with the marathon, it will be cool when running. The seventh will be the Polio Run. Joggers can have some soba noodles before continuing their run. Just go forward. It will be alright. We welcome folks to visit Erlin and taste the side products of soba noodles and join the marathon. The eighth one will be the Grape & Wine Marathon, which was established by Magistrate Wei and the Township Mayor together. All the runners will have the opportunity to taste the grapes and wine at the destination. The ninth one will be the Lukang Marathon. Runners can sightsee the historic monuments, run along the historic roads, and eat good food. Thanks for all the sponsors and volunteers for their help to allow us to make these “nine horses” runs possible. It is expected to promote Taiwan with these marathons, becoming more internationalized. The 2018 Changhua Marathon Festival has opened a joint-registration zone on the official website of the festival to allow runners to sign up for different contests in Changhua with one registration. For runners signing up for the joint-registration, they need to register for at least 3 contests in the Marathon Festival to complete the registration. In the joint-registration zone, in Tianzhong Marathon, the 500 spaces will be filled up in seconds once the registration begins every year. In addition, the Love Ershui Water Marathon is also a very popular contest. The Grape & Wine Marathon is going to be held for the first time in this year. The 10th Yunlin Lions is a charity run. The Polio Run in Erlin will also be a charity event. Lukang Marathon will be saturated with the humanistic charm of the old town. The 139 Marathon will integrate with the local features and agricultural products. As to the 139 Shetou Half-marathon, 5th Fenyuan Marathon, and more are all well-planned routes that integrate local agricultural products and sightseeing resources. For further details regarding the contests, please visit the official websites. For people signing up for the Fenyuan Half-marathon before July 31, they will be presented with a free admission ticket to Alice’s Garden. The Shetou Half-marathon this year will lead the runners to run through the Sock Weaving Industry Park to promote the sock industry there. Runners will also be presented with a functional pair of sports shirts, a pair of anti-fungus socks, waterproof drawstring bag, a sport towel, and other souvenirs at a value of about NTD1000. As soon as the registration ends, the vote for the most popular running routes for the “2018 Changhua Marathon” will begin. To provide different running experiences, Changhua County Government has carefully designed 9 different routes with different features in the Changhua Marathon Festival. When the runners work out, they can also sightsee, travel, and experience the landscapes of these neighboring towns. Changhua County Government would like to invite people to vote for their most favorite routes. Big prizes will be given away, including the Sport Love No. 1, the best creative award, people’s participation award, the most cultural award, the international marketing award, the most popular award, the local style sward, parent-child joy award, magnificent landscape award, and more. Just vote online, participants may win the big prizes of a jointly-signed PGO scooter, an album of the Marathon Memorial Stamps issued by Changhua Post Office, 1080P sports and diving video recorder, a road running pack designed by the sport note, and more. The 9 contests in the 2018 Changhua Marathon Contest are: Changhua 139 Marathon, Grape and Wine Marathon, Shetou Marathon, Yunlin 10th Lions Cup, Love Ershsui – Water Marathon, Tianzhong Marathon, Lukang Marathon, Polio Run, and 5th Fenyuan Half-marathon. For more information, please visit the official website of the 2108 Changhua Marathon Festival (http://baoming.irunner.com.tw/Changhua2018). In the press conference, many honorable guests participated, including Legislator Hung Tsung-yi, Councilors Lin Shih-hsien and Huang Yu-fen, Mayor Chiu Chien-fu of Changhua City, Mayor Yang Fu-chien of Xihu Town, Mayor Cheng Chang-yang of Ershui Township, Secretary-General Huang Chiung-yao of the Tianzhong District Office, Director-General Teng Chin-chuan of the Department of Education, Director-General Huang Pi-hai of the Department of Agriculture, and the Secretary-General Wu Chen-hsiang of the Changhua County Government, sports organizations, elected representatives, and local attorneys. Source: Changhua County Government’s websites Contact: Ms. Wu, Department of Education, Changhua County Government (04-7112175 ext. 30)

In Changhua County, there are 11 factories that have passed the evaluation of “Sightseeing Factory” by the Ministry of Economics Affairs. Integrating the six senses and experience elements of “experience economics”, “edutainment”, “arts performance”, and more, they have transformed into scenic spots appealing to visitors. Entering the sightseeing factories in Changhua County, visitors can have a glimpse of the factory. In addition to seeing as believing, people can also experience making each product themselves. Each of the sightseeing factories has its own unique sightseeing theme, providing visitors an alternative and new travel experience. In 2018, it is estimated that there will be 2 to 3 new sightseeing factories in Changhua. At present, the Taiwan Glove Museum, which began to operate in March, will finish the applications for the evaluation of becoming a sightseeing factory. It is expected to become the 12th sightseeing factory in Changhua, providing visitors with different sightseeing experiences. Moreover, it will add a more diverse sales point in the Sock Weaving Industry Park. The Taiwan Glove Museum was established by President Chen Yi-yi, president of the only factory in Taiwan manufacturing sport gloves – Good Hand. Located at the Sock Weaving Industry Park on Sheshi Road, Shetou Township. It occupies an area of 350 ping, being the only all-round glove theme gallery that integrates the features of museum, art gallery, and sightseeing factory in Taiwan. The museum contains the diverse features of a museum and the professionalism of a glove factory. It also introduces artistic creation, like a glove art gallery. Planned with the scope of a sightseeing factory, in addition to static and active exhibitions, there are also DIY studios, instruction machine rooms, children’s game rooms, as well as the “World Glove Exhibition and Souvenir Shop”. It displays all sorts of gloves and special gloves in Taiwan. The major appeal in the gallery is the “Huge World Glove” with a height of 5.8m. It is 256 times of the size of a regular glove. It is totally handmade, regarded as the largest in the world. It breaks the record of the former largest glove at a height of 2.5m in America. If you are interested in visiting the “Taiwan Glove Museum”, please visit its website (https://www.good-hand.com.tw) or call 04-8736168. During its trial operation, admission is free. It is closed on Mondays. Appointments to visit from Tuesday to Friday must be made in advance. It is open all day from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The address is: No. 8, Zhiwa 1st Rd., Shetou Township, Changhua County, 511 Taiwan. Source: Changhua County Government’s Website Contact: Officer Wu, Department of Economic Affairs, Changhua County Government (04-7531133)

In Asia, there are three unique sightseeing points that are only in Changhua. They are the only operating live historic monument, the Train Station Hotel – Round House, and the only trip for oyster picking by the sea on an ox-drawn cart. They are all important intangible cultural heritage aspects of Taiwan. The only glass Mazu Temple – the Hu Sheng Temple – is situated in the Taiwan Glass Gallery. The most hospitable Tianzhong Marathon would like to invite friends from Hong Kong and Macau to join the contest. Changhua is located in central Taiwan. There are 55 flights flying from Hong Kong to Taiwan every day. It just takes an hour and more to arrive here. Especially, there are flights flying from Hong Kong to Taichung directly, shortening its distance from Taiwan. Changhua began to develop very early, being the starting point of the history of the development of central Taiwan. There is an old saying, “the first was Tainan; the second, Lukang; the third, Meengjia.” Regarded as the cultural and historical capital in central Taiwan, it achieved handsomely in various aspects, including handicrafts, xiqu (traditional opera), architecture, literature, art, and more. In fact, it is a gem of Taiwan’s culture and history. It not only has refined handicrafts, precious historical architecture, and national class artisans, but also diverse local cuisine, including oyster omelets, deep-fried oysters, mud shrimp, roasted wheat flour, steamed meat buns, beauty’s eye, ox tongue cake, and more. In the West Coast of Changhua, there is the largest intertidal zone in Taiwan. During the ebb, hard clams, fiddler crabs, mudskippers, and more are exposed. Visitors can enjoy the fun of “catching clams”. In addition, in the tourism industry, there are different kinds of leisure farms, vineyards, and sightseeing factories. There are also many other scenic spots, such as horticulture in Tianwei Highway Park, the Great Buddha Statue – Changhua’s landmark, and more are very suitable for parents and children. Other than eating Zongzi, the Dragon Boat Festival features the most popular sport – the dragon boat race. Although it is held in many counties and cities in Taiwan, Lukang, Changhua is the only county holding dragon boat races in central Taiwan. To provide visitors with a higher quality and more comfortable environment to enjoy the dragon boat race, it takes the lead in holding it at night. Along the banks and river, dragon boats are decorated with glamourous lights to allow athletes to locate their positions in the river. It also gives visitors an exciting experience and eye-catching effect when watching the race. It seems the race is held in a huge outdoor theater. When enjoying the dragon boat race at night, visitors can experience the exciting competition among the teams and avoid the heat and sunlight during the daytime. They can also travel to Changhua at night to feel the splendor of Lukang. It is hoped that our friends from Hong Kong and Macau will have the opportunities to participate in the contest themselves. In addition to historic and festive activities, in sports tourism, the Changhua Tianzhong Marathon has been held for 7 years since 2012. Often, the tickets are sold in seconds when they are put up for sale. It is also the most hospitable marathon in Taiwan, regarded as a must-participate race by runners. Therefore, integrating sports and tourism, we welcome friends from Hong Kong and Macau to visit Changhua in central Taiwan. Exhibition date: 14-17, June News contact: Ms. Hsiu-Fang, Hsu, Department of City and Tourism (04-7532776)

The construction of the Qingshui Yan Hot Spring Camp Site in Shetou, Changhua County commenced on May 12. Magistrate Wei Ming-ku of Changhua County hosted the groundbreaking ceremony and envisioned the new look of Qingsghui Yan Camp Site in the future. It will become the first hot spring campsite featuring both leisure and sports facilities and ecological education, providing people with better and more complete camping and traveling services. After the construction is completed, it will light up the Qingshui woods and bring happiness to the southeast corner with this cross-area endeavor. Magistrate Wei stated that when a hotel does not refurbish its building for a long-time, its guests will inevitably decrease. If a sightseeing spot doesn’t add more recreational facilities to it, visitors will not come again. He expressed his gratitude to legislators, councilors, and the team of Tri-Mountain Natural Scenic Area Administration for their support. Securing NT$200 million from the central government, the construction work could commence finally. In the future, the campsite will be fused with the hot spring area. When it is completed, a quality management team will be hired to operate it. It is expected recreational vehicles can drive straightly into the campsite. It will become the first base integrated with hot spring and camping facilities as well as leisure sports and ecological education premises. It is believed that it will attract many tourists to come and visit Changhua. Magistrate Wei pointed out that a Weather Education Park is planned to be established in Tianzhong High Speed Rail Special Zone to educate people with the knowledge of how weather is forecasted. On May 22, the construction of Christian Hospital by Tianzhong High Speed Rail Access Road will begin. Everyone is welcome to participate in the ceremony. Tianzhong High Speed Rail Access Road has already opened for vehicles. Roads connected to it have launched into services. It will promote the development of sightseeing and leisure industry in the southeast corner of Changhua, increase people’s income, and attract young Changhua folks to stay in their hometown. Township Mayor Liu expressed his gratitude towards Magistrate Wei for his concern about the development of tourism in Shetou Township. He hopes with the development of Shetou Qingshui Yan Camp Site, it will become a new attraction in the future. It will bring further development of Shetou Township. Shetou Qingshui Yan is a very nice place, and quite suitable for mountaineering, hiking, leisure activities, and sports. After sweating from doing sports, visitors can enjoy a free foot spa to relax their minds and bodies. In addition to camping here, visitors can enjoy using all the facilities in the park. In Shetou, there are lots of great places to have fun. Everyone is welcome to visit Shetou. Since his inauguration, Magistrate Wei has cared about the folks’ leisure space. Therefore, he secured NT$200 million in funds to demolish the old facilities of the boy scout camp center and refurbish the place. It works towards the goal of keeping a huge area of green land, activate the water ecology, preserve the indigenous trees, and add more parent-child facilities to create the largest flexible usable space. In the future, it will be designed towards the goal of easy maintenance. According to the plan, there will be an entrance square, an ecological flood detention pool, a grassland for activities, parking spaces, brick trails, a local industry lifestyle zone, a new administration building and five-star bathing and camping facilities. Deigned with the natural landscape method, it is going to construct a quality hot spring and camping activities space. To collaborate with this activity, Changhua County Government will promote features of tourism in the seven towns and townships in the happy southeast corner. It will promote Tianwei Highway Garden, Beitou Cycling Tour, Tianzhong Rice Heaven, Shetou socks and guava, Beidou gourmet snacks, Ershui Railroad sightseeing, Xizhou Park, and other sightseeing features. Fusing sports and sightseeing in its promotional campaigns, such as Ershui Running Water Festival, Tianzhong Marathon, and more. With the appeal of health and LOHAS sports, he would like to invite local and international friends to visit Changhua to open up new business opportunities for sports tourism. In addition to the arrangement of the groundbreaking ceremony and construction vision exhibition, there were also gourmet snacks, grassland concert, fair of the industry, great luck drawing lot, and more. The activities were diverse and exciting. In the venue, there nice gifts of sports towels, magnetic badges, NT$50 coupons, and neat and small gifts. After hiking, there was also a luck of the draw lot with huge prizes like an electric bicycle and more. All the attendants witnessed the historic moment of the leap of Changhua’s tourism together. The funds for the hardware construction cover four major areas: the preparatory construction of the environment in the camp site; promotion of the infrastructure environment project, outdoor leisure theme zone construction, and preparatory works of surrounding public facilities. Regarding the engineering works, the items are as follows: water and soil conservation facilities, sewage facilities, water and electricity facilities and infrastructure constructions, camp site service facilities, administration building and toilet refurbishment, landscape construction, outdoor recreational facilities, and more. At present, part of the surrounding public facilities and the preparatory works have been completed, including the preparatory works of the gate at the sub-entrance, the overall landscape and image construction alone the roads, the installation of signposts along the roads, and more. In addition, in September 2017, the Ministry of the Interior subsidized funds to conduct the “Shetou Township Qingshui Yan Surrounding Area Improvement Engineering Project.” The landscape at the junction of County Highway No. 137 – Shanjiao Road and Qingshui Yan River will be improved, and plants will be growing to beautify the area. In addition, the preparatory construction of forestland at the sub-entrance of the Qingshui Yan Hot Spring Camp Site will be conducted. In the future, when the campsite is completed, the hot spring area at the southwest side will be operated in the manners of OT and enterprise invitation. The domains of the campsite will be operated by OT upon entrust include the camp site, administration building, hot spring area, shops, restaurants, indoor hot spring spa, outdoor hot spring spa, and more, providing camping lovers and parents-children with quality leisure spaces. To provide transportation to parent-child customers, on weekends and holidays, the county government will provide shuttle buses “Taiwan Tourist Shuttle – Qingshuiyan Route” running from Changhua HSR Station. Along the way, it will stop by 7 stops: TRA Tianzhong Station, Qingshui Yan Hot Spring Camp Site, Qingshui Yan Temple, Shetou Socks Industry Park, Fujin Rail Culture Museum, TRA Shetou Station, and The Soxlink Functional Wear Tourism Factory. In addition, the “Taiwan Tourist Shuttle – Chang-Nan Express” starts from Changhua HSR Station. It will stop by 11 stops: TRA Tianzhong Station, Motex Mask Creative House, Tianzhong Cat Village, Beidou Old Street, Tianwei Highway Park, Evin’s Color Fun Gallery, Iced Zongzi Invention Gallery, Changhua Souvenir Center, Taiwan Rice Castle, Xizhou Park, and Wanjing Art Gallery. Connecting Changnan Sightseeing Factory with the transportation stations, it provides visitor convenient transportation to Qingshuiyan Hot Spring Campsite during weekends and holidays. Many honorable guests attended the ceremony including Legislator Chen Shu-yue and Hung Tsung-yi, Councilors Hsiao Shu-fen, Hsiao Ru-yi, Liu Ching-tsang and Hsu Shu-wei, Deputy Director-General Liao Shi-Piao of Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Administration, Township Mayor Liu Chin-chang of Shetou, Township Mayor Hsieh Wen-hsien of Tianzhong, Chairman Weng Chia-hao of Shetou Township Council and councilors, Director Hsiao Chun-er of Shetou Farmers’ Association, Senior Executive Officer Wang Wen-sheng of Changhua County government, Director-General Ma Ying-chie of the Department of City and Tourism, Deputy Director Chang Chi-sheng of the Department of News, Director Hsieh Chang-ta of the Charity Channel of Changhua County, lawmakers at different levels, and local esquires.

With the full support given by President Tsai Ying-wen, the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, and the endeavor of Magistrate Wei Ming-ku and Director Chou Ching-yu of the Preparatory Office of Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park, the former Magistrate of Changhua County, and the President of Taiwan Care Center, the first “Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park” came into being in Changhua County. This morning (the 5th), the opening ceremony of Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park and other activities were launched. President Tsai, Magistrate Wei, Former Magistrate Chou, and other guests participated in the announcement of its opening. In the ceremony, many honorable guests also participated, including Secretary-General Chen Chu of the President Office, National Policy Advisor Yao Chia-wen, Wu Mao-kun, the Minister of Education, Cheng Li-chun, the Minister of Culture, and other guests, who gathered to witness this historic moment. President Tsai expressed that Ex-Magistrate Chou endeavored to promote Taiwanese culture by establishing this Taiwanese Park. It had been her long-time effort. She expects the younger generation to be able to speak Taiwanese and understand their mother tongue. Changhua is rich in Taiwanese culture, and has produced many well-known Taiwanese songs. This month’s President Office Concert will be held in Yuanlin, Changhua. The president invites everyone to join in this big event. Attending the President Office Concert, audiences will have the opportunity to hear songs composed in Changhua. Of course, there will be Taiwanese songs performed that were composed in Changhua. For the Taiwanese language and the subjectivity of Taiwanese culture, we should all work together to make it survive. Magistrate Wei expressed that this is the first Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park. It was formerly an army base. The Ex-Magistrate Chou worked actively to secure this land from the Ministry of National Defense. Now, it has been transformed into a Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park. On the original army camp site, six halls are now established, including the Culture Hall, Theater, Parent-child Hall, and Art Hall. It has not only collected many data from Taiwanese operas and plays but also is open to people interested in the studies of Taiwanese language. With the efforts of the county government team and local folks, Changhua has not only places that preserve the traditional culture, such as Lukang National Historic and Scenic Area and Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park, but also the green industry clusters funded by the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Plan. With all these establishments, Changhua will become better. This activity was carried out by about twenty elementary schools in Changhua, National Taichung University of Education, Taiwan Care Foundation, Taiwan Care Radio Station, and more. The major appeal of this activity was the announcement of the opening of the “Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park”. In addition, a series of performances and exhibitions were presented. In the climax of the activity, the guests in the ceremony and the Taiwan Care Choir, Changhua City Kindergarten, Thousand-year Old Choir and the participants sang the song “Our Changhua – A Thousand People’s Melody.” With this song, Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park was announced to be officially open to the public. It’s hoped that Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park will become part of our daily life. Reviving the mother tongue (Taiwanese) has become a major feature of creative cultural industry and tourism. More importantly, it has become a modern trend. The Changhua County Government understands the importance of reviving the mother tongue; it chose to establish the first and only “Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park” in the green environment and learning camp of Chenggong barracks. In addition to the arranged performances, including mother speaks mother tongue hiking, thousand-year old choir, creative fair, Taiwanese families gathering, let’s learn Taiwanese parent-child challenge, Taiwanese opera, and popular Taiwanese songs. There were also exhibitions in six different places, including the Culture Hall, Multifunction Hall, Arts Hall, Parent-child Hall, Concert Hall, and Theater. In addition, representatives from different counties and cities were invited to observe and discuss related issues. It is expected that with these activities, the environment for the Taiwanese language will become mature, friendlier, and improved, making Taiwanese close and natural to our daily life. The “Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park” was proposed and established by Chou Ching-yu, the Ex-Magistrate of Changhua County and the President of Taiwan Care Foundation. Magistrate Wei Ming-ku understands that Taiwanese culture needs protecting and passing down. Therefore, he gives full support to establishing this, the first “Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park” in Taiwan, and constructing Changhua County into a base for inheriting Taiwanese culture. We welcome all folks to come and visit the “Taiwanese Creative Cultural Park” and experience all the valuable Taiwanese resources. In addition to visiting the exhibition halls, visitors can also take a look at the creative fair and Taiwanese challenge activities. We’re looking forward to your visiting. In the ceremony many honorable guests attended, including the legislators Hung Tsung-yi, Chen Su-yueh, and Huang Hsiu-fang; county councilors Lai An-chang, Ouyang Chen-chu, and Yu Jui-chun; Director Chen Wen-pin of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Director Teng Chin-chuan of the Department of Education, Director Huang Shu-chuan of the Department of Social Affairs, Mayor Li Cheng-chi of Huatan Township, senior high school principals, university presidents, legislators, councilors, and local esquires.

Sponsored by Changhua County Government, the “Central Taiwan Regional Administration Platform” held a Cross-area Cooperation and Exchange Conference on Tourism in the Four Counties and Cities for the first time on April 24. Representatives from the governments of Changhua, Taichung, Nantou, and Miaoli attended the conference, in which affiliated travel agencies, tourism and travel associations, hotel associations, souvenir associations, and more were also invited. About one hundred people gathered in the audio-visual room of the Department of City and Tourism, Changhua County Government. They learned from and shared with each other to become more familiar with one another to create more opportunities for cooperation. In the square outside the government building, stalls were set up to provide a Lukang snack feast to the attendant to provide chances for tourism people intended to cooperate further to exchange further. Magistrate Wei Ming-ku attended the venue to encourage associations and associates in tourism to exchange further to form a cross-area cooperation network. Attracting more local and international tourists to visit these places, they can work together to create more business opportunities in tourism together in those four counties and cities. Magistrate Wei expressed that with this Taichung-Changhua-Nantou-Miaoli cross-district administration platform, people in the tourism industry in the four counties and cities in central Taiwan were invited to provide them with opportunities for cross-area alliance and mutual exchange. Changhua County government endeavored to promote tourism. For example, it preserves old houses, handicrafts, and cultural assets, and other local features with all its efforts. Associating with the night economy and nighttime tourism, it changed the schedule of Dragon Boat Contest in Lukang to be held at night to create more excitement. In addition, the Flower in Changhua activity held in Xizhou Park this year also had its open hours extended into the night. In addition, Wanggong Midsummer Music Festival this year will collaborate with Wanggong Fishing Port and Wanggong Old Street to provide activities at night to revive the hotel business. It is hoped that with the cross-area alliance, it can promote the tourism in the four counties and cities in central Taiwan. Moreover, it is expected that Taichung International Airport can become the inlet and outlet for the international travel routes. With the power of the alliance of central Taiwan, they can develop the tourism industry there further. Let central Taiwan go out, and the world come in. Magistrate Wei pointed out that there are different features in these four places: Taichung City, Changhua County, Nantou County, and Miaoli County. In Changhua County, there are historic monuments, folklore, handicraft, carving, and more. With the exchange between these four counties and cities, it is possible for them to plan travel packages to allow visitors to travel around different places in central Taiwan, promoting the revival of tourism in central Taiwan. In a month’s time, it will be the Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to tasting zongzi, the most popular activity should be the dragon boat race. In Taiwan, dragon boat races will be held in different counties and cities throughout Taiwan. However, in central Taiwan, it is only held in Lukang. To provide visitors with higher quality and more comfortable environment in enjoying the dragon boat race, Changhua plans to hold the first nighttime dragon boat race in Taiwan. Glamorous lights will be installed along the banks and river path, as well as on the dragon boats to allow athletes grasp the position of the river path. It also creates exciting and eye-catching visual effects. So, the competition space will become a huge outdoor theatre. When experiencing this huge and exciting event, spectators can not only get away from the red-hot sunlight during the daytime but also enjoy the beauty of traveling around Lukang during the nighttime. It will be something more than a historical, cultural, and festive activity. In the aspect of sports tourism, the Rice Heaven-Tianzhong Marathon has been held in Changhua since 2012 for 7 years. The tickets were often sold out in a minute’s time. It is also the friendliest marathon in Taiwan as well, regarded as a must participate by runners. Therefore, other than medical tourism, we also combine sports and tourism to invite more people to visit Changhua with healthy and LOHAS sports activities, creating more business opportunities for sports tourism. Changhua County has very different tourism conditions. In recent years, with the assistance of Changhua County government, the Changhua County Tourism Industry Association was founded. It has already become the leader in the industry, integrating the sightseeing, leisure, industrial, hotel, and other resources. Helping travel agencies design diverse tour packages, it has constructed a tourism market platform. Briefings were presented by Changhua County Tourism Industry Association, Changhua Hotel Association, Tianzhong Business Circle Tourism Development Association, Qingshui Yan Creative Cultural Association, Taiwan Yougoods School of Cookies, Magical Mushrooms Tribe Leisure Farm, Xingmai Baking Kingdom, Baiguo Mountain Explore Paradise, MOTEX MASK Creative House, and YISTUNEE ENTERPRISE on their scenic spots and features respectively. They also set up stalls to find like-minded businesses for further cooperation and exchange further. Changhua County Government also invited the Lukang Temple Square Association to move the snack feast to the venue and invited friends from other counties and cities to taste their local and traditional cuisine. As the lunch feast finished, the government officials of Changhua County Government offered as guided tour to Baquashan Skywalk to enjoy the beauty of Changhua. The guests attending the conference included Changhua County Councilor Lin Shih-hsien; Director-General Ma Ying-chieh of the Department of City and Tourism, Changhua County Government; Assistant Director-general Tsao Chung-yu of the Tourism and Travel Bureau, Taichung City Government; Chief Huang Teng-da, Tourism Bureau, Miaoli County Government; Technical Specialist Chang Chao-Kuei of the Department of Tourism, Nantou County Government; and representatives from the businesses and industries. Source: Changhua County Government Official Websites

Ambassador Tung Chen-yuan in Thailand led a delegation to visit Changhua to learn more about the medical tourism there. The delegates, which included Taiwanese merchants in Thailand, Thai reporters, and internet celebrities, visited Changhua Christian Hospital to investigate medical matters and visit the county for sightseeing purposes. Magistrate Wei Ming-ku attended and expressed his warm welcome. He expected that with the mutual exchange and benefits, it is possible to promote tourism through a variety of aspects. Since the central government waived the visa for Thai people to visit Taiwan, the number of Thai visitors soared. Last year (2017), there were about 300 thousand Thai visitors coming to Taiwan; the number has increased by 50% compared to 2016. This year, our goal will be 350 thousand visitors. Magistrate Wei expressed that Changhua Christian Hospital is ranked as one of the five major medical systems. In the aspects of software and hardware, it tops the ranking in both medical equipment and medical technology. In recent years, it collaborates with the central government’s New Southbound Policy to promote international medical services. In China and ASEAN countries, it has established various bases, regarding as an international hospital. Being the glory of Changhua, it one of the foremost hospitals in Taiwan. Magistrate Wei pointed out that in addition to the excellent medical system, Changhua is also the earliest developed city in Taiwan. If people want to understand more about Taiwanese culture, Lukang in Changhua Count is the top choice. Three hundred years ago, Lukang was the first commercial port developed in Taiwan. It has many historic monuments and many well-preserved folk culture and folk craft. More importantly, there are many gourmet snacks. These are all Changhua’s tacit and explicit cultural assets. The year before, Lukang changed the time for holding the Dragon Boat Festival to nighttime. Along the Fulu River, many glamorous LED lights decorated the banks. It seemed like a huge outdoor theatre, attracting many visitors to come here. He expected that with the fusion of medicine and culture, it is possible to allow Changhua to get out and have the world come in. Ambassador Tung Chen-yuan expressed that Changhua Christian Hospital is famous for its medical technology in the international arena. In the process of promoting the New Southbound Policy, medicine and hygiene are one of the five flagship plans. With the mutual cooperation between Taiwan and Thailand, they will collaborate to promote international medical healthcare. On this trip, he has invited Taiwanese merchants to come back and experience their health checks as well as the advanced and convenient medical services. In the future, he will promote the communication among the international medical centers in Taiwan. With IDs of any communication software, it is possible consult with Taiwan. In the future, he will further establish a Taiwan-Thailand medical healthcare service platform to provide more exchange services among the hospitals and medical schools in Taiwan and Thailand. Taiwan’s international medical service is ranked the third in the world, with significant advantages. In the aspects of internationalization and marketing, the Representative Offices overseas with give essential help to promote it further. Taiwanese merchants dedicate themselves in promoting their businesses. Changhua Christian Hospital and Taiwan’s medical healthcare system are enthusiastic in taking care of their health so that they can fully engaged in upgrading their businesses. It is the competitive advantages of Taiwan’s medical healthcare as well as the future goal for further promotion. Chief Medical Director Hsieh Ming-chia expressed that services must be provided through platforms, the more convenient the better. Therefore, he co-developed an app with a manufacturer. This app will be rich in content and is equipped with communication software that makes it very convenient to use. In the future, they are going to fuse the two to provide a medical tool that is even friendlier to users. That way, they can have more complete and continuous medical care. It is because individuals can use their smartphones and click the app. Then, all the data will be right there. Each Taiwanese merchant will have his or her own all-round personal manager. In addition, the health secretary can remind them of when should they take medical checkup and even enter the dates into their calendars, helping them to pay attention to their health conditions. As the medical and healthcare exchange is the highlight of the “New Southbound Policy” and the “Five Flagship Plans” promoted by the central government, the visit of the Health Management Center and Remote Healthcare Center for Diabetes at Changhua Christian Hospital will be helpful in promoting connections and cooperation between the medical industry in Taiwan and Thailand, promoting Taiwan’s high-end medical service and intelligent medical technology to Thailand. Changhua developed at a very early time, being the origin of the developmental history in central Taiwan. Changhua County endeavors to promote the major tourism policy – “Lukang National Historic and Scenic Area.” In Lukang Town, many of the historic monuments and historic architectures are preserved in good conditions. Each of them has its artisanship and values. There are many artisans and national treasures living here to engage themselves in the education and preservation of traditional craft. We can say that it is an important origin of the traditional culture in Taiwan history. With the accomplishments in different domains, including handicraft, traditional opera, art, and more, it is the heart of Taiwan culture. In this trip, the Thai delegates visited Lukang Old Street, Ribbon Museum, Taiwan Glass Gallery, Glass Mazu Temple, and other renowned scenic spots. They were also invited to a Lukang snack feast and check-in to the famous hotel Lukang Villa Spa. It was hoped that with the visit of Thai media, it provided more opportunities for Thai people to understand more about Changhua and promote its international profile. In addition, to medicine tourism, Changhua also promotes sports and sightseeing, such as the Lukang Dragon Boat Festival – International Dragon Boat Race, marathon, and other activities. Promoting health, LOHAS, and sports activities, we would like to invite local and international friends to visit Changhua to open up more trade opportunities for sports tourism. We are eager to introduce Taiwan’s magnificent landscape and hospitality to the world. Many honorable guests participated in the event, including Deputy Director-General Hsu Chun-hung of the City and Tourism Department, Changhua County Government, Director Chen Mu-kuan and Deputy Director Chou Chi-chung, and Chief Medical Director Hsieh Ming-chia of Changhua Christian Hospital, legislators, councilors, and other members on the delegates group. Source: Changhua County Government Official Websites Contact Person: Chief Li, Department of City and Tourism, Changhua County Government (04-7112175 Ext. 20)

To encourage people to cultivate the habit of “autonomous (regular exercise,” “LOHAS (integrate sports into daily life),” “love sports (do sports for fun)” Changhua County Government held the press conference for the beginning of “2018 Changhua Sports i-Taiwan Plan” in the courtyard on 1F in the county government building this morning (the 9th). Deputy Magistrate Lin Ming-yu attended the conference on behalf of Magistrate Wei Ming-ku. The tour work-out team lead attendants in a warm-up. The Taekwondo practitioner Liu Wei-ting of the national team was appointed as the endorser of the Sports iTaiwan campaign. At the press conference, many athletes and sports administrators attended, including ABL players, project executives of the Sports iTaiwan from the county, township, and town sports associations, and other sports societies. Changhua County Government expects to collaborate with the units to encourage people to cultivate the habits of regularly participate in sports. Let’s do sports to love Taiwan. Deputy Magistrate Lin expressed that the Changhua County Government is endeavoring to construct the county into a place in which “People love to do sports. Sports can be done anywhere and anytime” to construct a LOHAS county, and a livable and longevity city. Collaborating with universities and colleges, sports associations in different townships, towns, and communities, and more to sponsor different kinds of sports activities. In 2018, it is estimated that there will be 3,313 sports activities in Changhua. He would like to thank different sectors for the cooperation in promoting these activities to provide arenas for people to demonstrate their skills and compete in sports games. He advocated for people to stretch their bodies and keep fit to minimize instances of getting sick and maximize their health. Deputy Magistrate pointed out that Changhua County Government cares about people’s health. At schools, it provides nutritious lunch to students to allow them to eat the most nutritious meals. He also encourages students to drink water instead of sugar drinks and promote regular sports class so that school children can grow up with the best physical conditions. In addition, Changhua County Government established the first “Senior Gym” in Taiwan to provide them with sports equipment suitable for them. Encouraging seniors to keep fit, he expects that they will be able to live more actively and lead more interesting lives. He also expects to promote it in every community. Collaborating with the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, Changhua County Government is going to work with county sports association, town, township, and city sports association and other civilian groups to promote the four major projects and 16 subprojects in the “Sports iTaiwan” plan. Sponsoring diverse sports activities for the people, it provides suitable sports activities and opportunities to encourage people to love Taiwan and love themselves by doing sports. He encourages people to exercise for better health and make their habits into their favorite activities. Let’s do sports because we love doing them. Local feature sports events in the Sports Culture Rooting Project – Sponsored by the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, Tianzhong Marathon was voted as the “Most Popular Award” among the feature sports activities in 22 counties and cities in Taiwan last year. It was also the friendliest marathon. Changhua County Government is going to expand the activities in the marathon season to promote the development of sports activities in Changhua and help increase the income of tourism. It also enhances local people’s identity. Changhua County Government will collaborate with local sports group to conduct the plans on holding sports activities series on the National Sports Day and LOHAS sports activities for seniors and promoting women to join sports activities plan. As a result, county folks can have tailormade sports activities just for them to bring about a local sports culture and trends. In the expand sports knowledge project, there are the subprojects of water territory, bicycle, indigenous peoples, disabled sports, physical fitness in the communities, and more. They will be carried out together by the Changhua Swimming Association, Water Life Saving Association, Dragon Boat Committee, schools at various levels, disabled groups, Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, Changbei Sports Center, and more. To allow different groups to have a diverse set of choices for sports events. The transmission of sports’ seeds project is implemented by three universities: National Changhua University of Education, Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, and Dayeh University, which collaborate to form a tour sports instruction team to provide tour counseling services at different communities, community development associations, senior center, community concern points, senior recreational centers, and more to communicate the proper sports concept profoundly in different communities, villages, and boroughs. In addition, this year’s iSport ambassador groups were established for the first time. They will train the sports promotion volunteers in Changhua County. Everyone is welcome to join the social and sports volunteers’ teams. The sports city promotion project is carried out by Changhua Sports Association, which provides 22 sports instruction classes and leisure activities for office workers. Fifty-five sports carnivals will be held by sports associations of different towns and townships. In addition, there are community friendship meets in softball, tennis, and basketball, and the two hot zones in sports – Tianzhong HSR Station and Changhua County Stadium are opened to the public. Everyone is welcome to join any sports activities in your communities to cultivate new, active habits or regular exercise. The “2018 Sports iTaiwan Plan” provides abundant and diverse activities. Welcome people to visit the Sports iTaiwan for more information (http://isports.sa.gov.tw/) on related activities. Changhua County Government sincerely to invite you to join the sports events. Participate all the events in Sports iTaiwan Plan for your health and quality of life. Welcome everybody to go outdoor and do exercise. Let’s do sports and (love) iTaiwan. Keep fit to love yourself. The guests attending the conference included Changhua County Councilors Lin Shih-hsien, Yu Jui-chun, Lai Ching-mei, Ou-yang Chen-chu, Hsiao Wen-hsiung, Director-General Teng Chin-chuan, Sectary Tu Min-chun of Changhua County Government, Secretary Lan Chun-yu of Xiushui Township Office, Reviewer Hsu Chin-hsien of Sport iTaiwan, Director Cheng Tsung-cheng of Changhua County Marathon and Road Running Association, Director Kao Rui of Changhua County Water Life Saving Association, legislators and councilors, representatives of sports associations in towns and townships. Source: Changhua County Government Official Websites Contact Person: Chief Chiao, Department of Education, Changhua County Government (886-4-7112175 Ext. 20)

Changhua County Government held a divination blocks tossing ceremony at Fuhai Temple, Fangyuang Township, Wang Kung in the morning today (2nd) to pray for the perfect progression of “2018 Wanggung Midsummer Music Festival”. Deputy Magistrate Chen Shan-pao of Changhua tossed the divination blocks on behalf of Magistrate Wei Ming-ku. In the ceremony, there were also Mayor Hung Ho-lu of Fangyuan Township, Director Lin Yi-mo of Fuhai Temple Committee, board directors and inspectors of Fuhai Temple, Director Huang Pi-hai of the Department of Agriculture, and more. In the ceremony, seven shenbei (divine answers) was tossed. With divine permission, Wang Kung Midsummer Music Festival will be held from July 14 to July 15 (the 2nd day and 3rd day of the 6th lunar month). Wang Kung area in Fangyuan Township, Changhua has been a prosperous fishing port since the olden days. The oysters produced in the shallow sea are famous in Taiwan. Naturally cultivated, the “pearl oysters” grow in ebbs and flows are rich and juicy, attracting food lovers from all around to come here to satisfy their appetites. With the combination of the lush, local natural landscape, Buddhist and Daoist temples, local fishing port culture, and fresh seafood, the Wang Kung area has successfully become a leisure and tourist spot. Wang Kung Midsummer Music Festival is famous throughout Taiwan. In the two-day events every year, it attracts tens of thousands of passionate visitors to participate, injective festival atmosphere to the quiet fishing port. It boosts the sightseeing appeal of the entire Changhua City. Before holding the festival every year, administrators will hold a divination blocks tossing and praying ceremony to pray for peace for the country and safety for people; mild weather and sufficient rainfall for us all. This year, there will be parade and carnival, ocean music festival, fireworks, and local delicacies abound, all with great appeals. In addition to local groups, schools at various levels, and new immigrants’ groups will be invited to join the parade in the carnival, making it more diverse and plentiful. Wang Kung Midsummer Music Festival will also be held. By that time, we welcome people to visit Wang Kung to eat fresh oysters, listen to good music, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Source: Changhua County Government’s websites Contact person: Division Chief Ting, Fishery Division, Department of Agriculture, Changhua County Government (04-7531681)