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The Upcoming 2012 Green Expo
Yi-Lan has always been famous for its picturesque natural scenery and comfortable living. Starting March 31, with the theme of experiencing the natural beauty and local unique agriculture, the forthcoming Yi-Lan Green Expo will showcase the unique lifestyle and farming methods of the Taiwanese traditional agriculture. At the same time, the visitors can experience the fun of harvest by picking the Yi-Lan shallots, cabbage, and organic vegetables and fruits.
From March 31 to May 20, the 13th Yi-Lan Green Expo will hold its 51-day activities in Wu-Lao-Keng Scenic Area, Yi-Lan county. Themed “Organic Living Sensation,” the Expo exhibits how to put the concept of “organic” into practice in our daily life and diet. There will also be personal experience on the process of agricultural production and the way to eat well and healthily.
Before entering the Expo center, visitors will first pass through a trail decorated with bird cages and flowers symbolizing the freedom of human mind like bird being released from its cage. The entrance of the park is a tunnel made by long bamboos resembling an access to a heaven of peace and happiness, a retreat away from the turmoil of the world.
In order to promote the concept of environmental protection, the art exhibits on the lawn are made from recycled waste, for example an apple made of driftwood, chopsticks made of cement wiring poles, donuts made of scrap tires.
The Expo will showcase the well-known Yi-Lan agricultural farming method–dual farming of duck and rice, known as Duck-Rice Farming (DRF). DRF, invented through the wisdom of the ancients, can reduce the use of pesticides and hence, minimizing the damage to the environment. Two weeks after birth, the ducklings will be led into the rice field.
Killing two birds with one stone, the ducklings eat the rice snails, which damage the rice, and produce natural fertilizers to the field through their droppings. The Expo will arrange the duck farm and rice field separated by green fences in the layout to demonstrate the mutual existence of duck and rice in a farm.
If you want to learn more about vegetables, the Expo exhibits include Yi-Lan’s special crops, e.g. chili, pumpkin, green pea, green bean, romaine, lettuce. There will more than 100 species of chillis and a wide variety of pumpkins, such as Japanese, Western, Lettering, and Toy, on display for visitors to see which chilli is spicier and to learn about pumpkins.
In addition, there is the Happy Garden showing the various stages of rice field, the planting of organic vegetables and the planet of wetlands, where one can learn the world of aquatic plants, resembling that of the well-known Shuang-Lian-Pi Wetland in Yi-Lan.
If you are interested in healthcare, there is a pavilion themed Healthcare Garden. According to the theory of five elements in Chinese culture, the substance of the world is constituted by “gold, wood, water, fire and earth.” There is a Five Elements Examination Center, which can examine the element that one’s body is in favor of.
Based on individual’s characteristics, one will enter the corresponding Five Elements Experience Zone–in music, aromatic, spiritual, food and sports to learn and practice individual’s characteristic healthcare methods in basic necessities (diet, clothing, living and mean of transportation) of their daily lives.
As the Expo is close to the Wu-Lao Creek, one can relax in the riverside leisure area–dip into the cool, unpolluted stream while enjoying the scenic green mountain and upstream of the valley. The recreational area has a net of 60 meters in length and 20 meters in height to challenge for one’s psychological limits. Once tired, you can rest in the pavilion to drink tea and learn about the process of tea production.
Alternatively, you can enjoy a cup of coffee or afternoon snack in a coffee shop located in the exhibition area. In the café, you can learn to make small horticultural handicraft using coffee bean canvas.
During weekends or public holidays, the organizers will arrange for stage performances. A number of well-known folk singers and bands, e.g. Greenery Chamber Orchestra, Yan Zhi Wen and San-Keu-Thai Band, etc will be invited. On Labor Day, the Union will perform accordion that is characteristic to Taiwanese street performing art. In addition, there will be acrobatic, martial arts and Lan Yang Dancers Troupe dance performances.
Upon completing one round of the Yi-Lan Green Expo, you will personally experience Taiwan’s traditional agriculture and the local culture. You can also enjoy the tea and the relaxing lifestyle in scenic Yi-Lan. The activities combine both education and entertainment under one roof. Furthermore, you can take away the concept of organic living.
How to get there: By train to Luodong station. Take taxi or the Guo-Guang Bus to the Yi-Lan Green Expo at Wu-Lao-Keng park.
Advertisement by Taiwan Yi-Lan County Government
