Zhuzihu (竹子湖) Calla Lily Festival
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Spring in Taiwan is the ideal time to visit Zhuzihu Flower Festival. Inside Yangminshan National Park, Zhuzihu used to be a former lake created by a volcanic eruption and is now covered with white calla lilies. Many people come to visit this location for the amazing fields filled with these beautiful flowers and to get amazing pictures.
Dates of the festival
If you don’t want to miss the blooming of the Calla Lilies, the festival happens every spring from March to the end of June. In 2020, the festival takes place from March 27th to June 21st. Here is the official website of the event.
Located in an ancient dried out lake near a volcano (Mt. Qixing), this is the best environment for growing these kind of flowers. With up to 45 Calla Lily farms in the region, many visitors come to pick up this special flower.
White Calla Lily
Calla comes from the Greek word calla (beauty). This flower is said to come from Hera, the wife of Zeus.
Zeus wanted Hercules to have the strengh of the gods. To obtain this, he tried to bring Hercules to Hera to breastfeed him while she was asleep.
Waking up and pushing Hercules away from her, drops of milk flew across the sky creating the milky way and everywhere they landed on earth, calla lilies bloomed.
A white flower is a symbol of purity and innocence.
In Roman Mythology, treatened by the flowers beauty, Venus cursed the flower with a unsightly pistil.
Location
Within Yangminshan National Park and with an elevation of 600 meters, Zhuzihu (also spelled Jhuzihhu) is the perfect location for this flower to grow. The soil rich in volcanic nutriments as well as the cool climatic environment makes this flower thrive in that kind of environment.
With more than 45 calla lily farms in the region occupying more than 13 hectares, white calla lilies at Zhuzihu account for 80-90% of the overall production in Taiwan. Many people come to admire the heavenly scenery, pick up some flowers and eat local delicacies.
It is also possible to see many varieties of hydrangea bloom during May.
Photo courtesy of Annie Spratt from Unsplash.
How to get there
During the festival, it is recommended to use the public transportation to limit the traffic.
MRT Beitou Station - Take route S9 or 129 to Zhuzihu or Ta ke route 230 to Yangmingshan Terminal and walk to Yangmingshan Transfer Station to take route 108, 124, 128, 129, 131, S8 ,S9 to Zhuzihu.
MRT Shipai Station - Take route S8 or 128 (only travels to Zhuzihu area during Calla Lily Festival) to Zhuzihu.。
Taipei Railway Station - Take route 260 to Yangmingshan Terminal and walk to Yangmingshan Transfer Station to take route 108, 124, 128, 129, 131, S8 ,S9 to Zhuzihu.
MRT Jiantan Station - Take route 260, R5 to Yangmingshan Terminal or take any of the following buses to Yangmingshan Second Parking Lot：111, 127 Transfer to route 108, 124, 128, 129, 131, S8 ,S9 to Zhuzihu. (128 only travel to Zhuzihu area during flower Festival)
Click here for a map of the location and here for a guide in english of the event.
Activities to do
For a cheap price of about TWD 100$ per person, you can enter the flower farm to pick up around 8-10 calla lilies and bring back home.
During the festivities, it is common to see artists perform music as passengers stop by to eat the local delicacies or sip tea.
Passengers can enjoy walking around Bamboo lake to capture incredible pictures of the scenery with many varieties of colorful flowers.
For my part, I really enjoyed sipping a flavorful hydrangea tea, catching a break at the tea place below to enjoy the scenery.
If you enjoy tea, check out this link to order delicious Tea from Taiwan.
Conclusion
The Zhuzihu Flower festival left me speachless at the incredible beauty of the scenery. I think it is the perfect getaway from Taipei during spring to enjoy nature’s wonders. If you have the chance, you should definetely check it out. If this article was helpful, don’t forget to join the newsletter to get more travel destinations and tips.
Gallery of pictures
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