The Romantic Route 3 Arts Festival presents Hakka renaissance


Banner of The Romantic Route 3 Arts Festival

As Taiwan’s biggest cultural event, the Romantic Route 3 Arts Festival (
浪漫台三線藝術季) is taking place from Oct. 19 through Dec. 15 at various locations in Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, and Taichung City, across 9 Hakka settlements spanning 150 kilometers on Taiwan Romantic Route 3, also known as the Provincial Highway 3.

During the 58-day festival, artists from different countries bring 50 artworks to the island, and more than 100 cultural events are waiting for visitors to experience.

The festival presents a locally distinctive exhibition of contemporary arts, at which professional designers and resident artists engage in a campaign to revitalize the region with local teams. Art pieces featuring Hakka landscapes create new cultural imagery, inject modern energy into ethnic tradition, and give rise to Hakka renaissance.

Through integrating cultural experiences into tourism, the festival topples the stereotype about Hakka culture while displaying the idyllic lifestyle on Taiwan Romantic Route 3.

The inaugural Romantic Route 3 Arts Festival encompasses three themes: highways, waterways, and trails, which are intertwined with time to form a glamorous avenue, telling the stories of small towns along the Provincial Highway 3, the tales of irrigation canals in Hakka villages, and the history of Raknus Selu Trail (樟之細路).

It welcomes visitors to slow down their pace, savor their time with nature and humanities of these villages, and enjoy the exclusive Hakka charm. More information can be found at http://www.romantic3.tw.




Event locations:

Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard

Taiwanese artist Lin Shuen-long (林舜龍) brought his creative process to Taipei’s Ketagalan Boulevard on Oct. 19 and 20, using plenty of bamboo materials and trays for persimmons cushions to build his installation art in front of the Presidential Office Building.


Taipei’s Songshan Cultural and Creative Park

An exhibition called “Ca Ngi (茶遇),” which means an encounter with tea, is taking place at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (松山文創園區) from Oct. 19 to 27, giving an overall introduction to the Romantic Route 3 Arts Festival.


Taoyuan’s Longtan District

To promote the beauty of the region, several installation arts and workshops are set up at Sankeng Ecological Park (三坑自然生態公園). Visitors can also take a trip to Sankeng Old Street (三坑老街) to explore Longtan, a key Hakka settlement in Taoyuan.


Hsinchu’s Zhudong Township

A grand feast is presented at Zhudong Market (竹東市場), which is Taiwan’s largest Hakka traditional market, offering visitors abundant Hakka cuisine that will surely satisfy their appetite.


Hsinchu’s Hengshan Township

Combined with the history of the Neiwan Line railway (內灣線鐵道), numerous artworks created jointly by artists and local residents are brought to train stations, transforming the railway area into an art gallery.


Hsinchu’s Beipu Township

As one of the oldest Hakka settlements, Beipu’s long history inspires the invited artists to create their art pieces, which provide visitors with an artistic len to view this unique town.


Hsinchu’s Guanxi Township

To experience the authentic Guanxi, visitors can spend time drinking some tea and enjoying Hakka music concerts during the arts festival.


Hsinchu’s Emei Township

Regarded as Hsinchu’s fairyland, Emei fires the resident artists’ imagination with its natural beauty. The creative artworks are surely giving visitors a wonderful sensation.


Miaoli’s Shitan Township

For Shitan, Miaoli County, Raknus Selu Trail (樟之細路) was an indispensable link to the outside world in the past and now is a seductive historic pathway. Visitors can take a stroll and appreciate arts along the trail.


Miaoli’s Dahu Township

A captivating exhibition is taking place at Dawo Ecological Park (大窩生態園區), revealing  the less-known historical fact that Hakka and indigenous people have coexisted harmoniously for a long time because of an irrigation canal.


Taichung’s Dongshi District

Growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, Dongshi has a long history of the irrigation canal system. During the festival, visitors can have a tour of local canals and attend hands-on activity of making preserved vegetables that exude Hakka flavor.