As one of Taiwan’s biggest cultural events of the year, 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.
Accompanied by Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke (楊文科), Hakka Affairs
Council (HAC) Minister Lee Yung-de attended an Oct. 30 press conference on the
joint opening of the Hsinchu leg of the Hakka arts festival.
As the Taiwanese county with the highest concentration of Hakka
residents at 73%, Hsinchu County is rich in culture, history, and natural
beauty, stated Minister Lee.
He noted that the Hsinchu program of the Hakka arts festival has five
exhibition sites — Beipu, Hengshan, Guanxi, Emei, and Zhudong — that will
feature both international and domestic artists. Moreover, world-class
performing groups and musicians will be bringing their sensational performances
to Hsinchu as well, Lee added.
After the press conference, the minister set off on a regional tour across
Hsinchu. Taking the train to Hengshan, Lee visited train stations of the Neiwan
Line for amazing installation pieces and splendid scenery along the railway tracks.
Later, he went to Beipu for exhibitions on the restoration of Citian
Temple (慈天宮), artworks by Spain’s Isaac Cordal, and photographic
works by Taiwanese artist Juan I-jong (阮義忠) and late pioneering
photographer Deng Nan-guang (鄧南光).
Zhudong was the last stop of the trip for Minister Lee, who rounded off his
excursion with a pleasant ride on a bike and enjoyed the town’s idyllic lifestyle.
He extends a warm invitation to the general public to participate in the grand
cultural event and explore the Hakka villages of Hsinchu.
Detailed information is available at https://www.facebook.com/romantic3.tw/.
Romantic
Route 3 Arts Festival in Hsinchu
Hengshan Township
Combined with the railway history of the Neiwan Line (內灣線鐵道), numerous artworks jointly created by artists and
local residents are now on display at train stations, transforming the railway
area into an art gallery.
Beipu Township
As one of the oldest Hakka settlements in Taiwan, Beipu’s long history
inspired the invited artists to create new art pieces, which will provide
visitors with different artistic lens to view this unique town.
Guanxi Township
To experience the authentic side of Guanxi, visitors can spend some time
drinking tea and enjoying Hakka music concerts on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Emei Township
Regarded as Hsinchu’s fairyland, Emei ignited the imagination of the festival’s resident artists with its natural beauty. The creative artworks hope to bring a similar sensation of wonder to visitors.