Date:2024-11-18
To transform the county into a livable, travel-friendly, and healthy city, the development of culture and tourism plays a pivotal role. Below are the key accomplishments in cultural and tourism services over the past six months:
First, in promoting wood carving art and culture, from April to September 2024, two major wood carving exhibitions featuring renowned artists were held, along with thematic wood carving exhibitions. A total of 60 sessions with wood carving artists were organized. Events such as the Sanyi Traditional Wood Carving Skill Development Program (三義木雕傳統技藝養根計畫), the International Exchange Exhibition of Wood Sculpture, the Taiwan International Competition Exhibition of Wood Sculpture, and the Asia Youth Wood Carving Training Camp attracted around 32,000 visitors. Additionally, the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum conducted virtual exhibition filming, allowing the public to learn about the exhibition content, featured works, and past exhibitions. This initiative transformed the physical exhibition into a virtual platform, providing the public with an alternative way to engage with the arts anytime and anywhere.

Second, in promoting performing arts, the “2024 Miaobei Arts Festival” continued to receive widespread acclaim. This year’s festival featured four major themed exhibitions exclusive to the Miaobei region: “Masterpiece Elegance (大師風華),” “Classic Symphonies (經典交響),” “International Principal Artists (國際首席名家),” and “Brand Playwrights (品牌劇作).” Through the embrace of diverse cultural innovations, the festival has continued to lead regional cultural development, strengthen the production capacity of local venues, and establish signature brand events. The festival also hosted the “Miaoli County Artists Invitational Exhibition (苗栗縣美術家邀請展),” showcasing photography by local artist Wan-fang Liu and an oil painting exhibition by Xiu-ming Gao, both reflecting the rich and diverse creative energy of Miaoli County. Additionally, the inaugural “2024 Tungshiau Sand-Sculpture Arts Festival” was held to establish a new local tourism brand, alongside the 7th “Miaoli Performing Arts Festival” and the 4th “Miaoli Diam eˋ Fringe Festival.” These vibrant events have invigorated the local culture, presenting fresh artistic expressions.

In promoting Hakka affairs, from 2017 to 2023, the county government’s “Promoting Hakka as the Common Language Project (推動客語為通行語計畫)” has achieved remarkable success, earning national first place with excellent ratings for six consecutive years. Additionally, the “2023 Local Hakka Development Project (112年度地方客家發展計畫)” evaluation also received outstanding results. This year, in addition to the “Hakka Tung Blossom Festival,” “Hakka Folk Songs, Ba-yin Music, and Tea-Picking Opera Performance (客家歌謠、八音暨採茶戲成果匯演),” and the “Hakka Cultural and Arts Carnival – Square Dance Competition (客家藝文嘉年華活動-廣場舞比賽),” the county launched the “Miaoli Hakka Family Language Revitalization Project (苗栗客轉竇客語家庭)” and the “2024 Miaoli County Adult-Child Verbal Duel Competition (2024苗栗縣大人細子鬧熱打嘴鼓比賽),” both encouraging the integration of Hakka into daily family life, with every household becoming a Hakka-speaking family. Furthermore, the county government has assisted Miaoli City, Zaoqiao Township, Sanyi Township, Zhuolan Township, and Nanzhuang Township in securing Hakka Affairs Council funding to support Hakka festivals, cultural activities, and industry innovation, working together to create a Hakka-friendly environment and build a vibrant Hakka culture in Miaoli.

In promoting cultural and creative industries, the county continues to host the “Miaoli Pottery Arts Festival” to strengthen local pottery craftsmanship while revitalizing Miaoli’s distinctive park areas. By securing central government resources, the county has been renovating park spaces and facilities, including the “2023–2024 Quality Public Restrooms and Beautiful Environment Promotion Project (112-113年優質公廁及美質環境推動計畫),” which will enhance three restroom facilities: Miaoli Cultural Park, the parking lot, and the Miaoli Ceramics Museum. Additionally, a pottery and agricultural products exhibition and sales platform has been established, with 11 spaces leased, attracting nine local businesses, including the Miaoli County Farmers Association, Gongguan Township Farmers Association (公館鄉農會), Miaoli County Ceramic Arts Association, local ceramic artists, Mao Shiang Tan Fang, and the Golden Village Association (黃金小鎮協進會). Starting January 1, 2024, these spaces will be open five days a week. The county also continues to promote the “Miaoli Style Cultural and Creative Brand Value Enhancement Program (Miaoli style苗栗文創品牌加值推廣計畫)” and the “2024 Miaoli Hakka Township Culinary Experience Promotion,” further advancing Miaoli’s cultural and creative brand.

In promoting cultural heritage preservation, the county boasts 17 county-designated historic sites, 62 historic buildings, 4 cultural landscapes, 16 general antiques, and 1 historical site. Its intangible cultural assets include 6 items in the folk traditions category, 8 traditional performing arts items with 14 practitioners, 7 traditional crafts with 16 practitioners, 1 oral tradition item with 4 practitioners, and 1 technical preservationist for cultural heritage. Additionally, there are 23 indigenous items with 41 preservers/groups. The county also published Miaoli Literature (苗栗文獻) Issue 61, which focuses on the theme of Miaoli Hakka literature.

In terms of tourism marketing, the mascot Maolimiao is featured on the Facebook page “Miaoli Play to the Full (苗栗玩透透),” which has attracted 258,000 followers. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle-Nanzhuang Shuttle Bus served 17,868 passengers between April 1 and September 30, 2024. To attract both domestic and international tourists to Taiwan, the Tourism Administration, M.O.T.C., organized the “Tourism Spotlight Award” competition. The county’s recommended attractions, including “Charming World Heritage, International Slow City—Old Mountain Line Rail Bike (魅力世遺‧國際慢城—舊山線鐵道自行車)” and “Meet Shei-Pa National Park & Tour Xuejian — Xuejian Visitor Center (遇見雪霸．漫遊雪見—雪見遊憩區)” (in collaboration with Shei-Pa National Park), both won the “Top 10 Scenic Facilities (10大景點設施)” award. Furthermore, the “Old Mountain Line Rail Bike” garnered 67,428 votes, or the highest in Taiwan, earning the “Best Popularity Award (最佳人氣獎).” The “Tour Guanwu with Formosan Salamander—Shei-Pa National Park Summer Ecological Interpretation Series (山椒魚帶我遊觀霧–雪霸國家公園觀霧暑期生態解說系列活動)” was recommended by the National Park Service, Ministry of the Interior, and received both the “Top 10 Activity Experiences (10大活動體驗)” and “Best International Recommendation Award (最佳國際推薦獎).” Miaoli County was recognized with five awards at the “Tourism Spotlight Award (觀光亮點獎)” ceremony, making it the biggest winner of the event. Additionally, the county’s promotional video for the local brand “Miaoli Slow Fish” won “Honorable Mention” in the Communication and Promotion category at the 11th Taiwan Landscape Awards in 2024. During recent consecutive holidays, including Mid-Autumn, Double Ten, New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, and the 228 holiday, the county’s hotel booking rates ranked among the top in Taiwan, highlighting the significant boost in market opportunities.

Lastly, in the development of cultural tourism facilities, the county has received central government approval for a project with a budget of NT$204.4 million to create a tourist hub as part of the “Ming Hu Riverside Recreation Corridor Highlights Plan (明湖水岸遊憩廊帶亮點計畫).” This development will focus on the themes of “One Lake, Two Islands, Three Circles, Four Revitalization Projects, and Five Major Themes.” In collaboration with the Miaoli Management Office of the Irrigation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, the county aims to transform the Mingde Reservoir Scenic Area (明德水庫風景區), creating a fresh brand image to enhance Miaoli’s status as a tourism hotspot. The related projects are expected to be completed by early 2024, with subsequent operations carried out under the “Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects.” The investment attraction process is anticipated to be completed by the first quarter of 2025. The “Miaoli Hakka Literature Park Visitor Center Renovation (客家文學花園遊客中心裝修工程)” and “Miaoli Hakka Literature Park Project (Phase III) (客家文學花園計畫 (第三期))” are currently in the planning and design stages, with completion set for June and August 2024, respectively. In March 2023, the Hakka Affairs Council provided a subsidy for an 18.5-hectare landscape project. The “Miaoli Hakka Literature Park Landscape Project (客家文學花園景觀工程)” was granted a subsidy of NT$295 million in August 2023 and is now in the design phase, with bidding underway for construction and supervision. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Additionally, the private sector investment process has been finalized, with contracts signed in March 2024 and land transfer completed on August 12, 2024. The three-year construction phase is expected to conclude by August 2027, with private investors set to invest NT$600 million, combining the park’s landscape with a boutique-style lodging area. The Houlong Riverside Park will house Miaoli County’s first versatile cultural and creative film studio (百變影城文創園區), which is set to begin trial operations in early 2025. The Old Mountain Line Rail Bike, which officially began operations on July 1, 2019, has attracted nearly 2.7 million visitors. In the future, it will align with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ railway tourism policy, with plans to extend the Old Mountain Line Rail Bike north to Sanyi Station and south to Old Taian Station and Houli Station. This will create a multi-modal transportation network, enabling connections with the Taiwan Railways main line at Sanyi Station and Houli Station, thereby forming a circular rail tourism network. The county government and Taichung City Government have reached a consensus on the future operations model for the Old Mountain Line, with both parties aligned on developing a multi-modal rail tourism system. Coordination with Taiwan Railway Company (formerly the Taiwan Railways Administration) has also been strengthened. Currently, the county government, Taichung City Government, and Taiwan Railway have agreed on a mid-term multi-modal transportation plan (2026–2037), which includes: (1) operating multi-modal transportation from Sanyi to Old Taian Station and (2) from Old Taian to Houli Station. In the future, the aim is to link Old Taian Station in Taichung City to Taiwan’s first cross-county rail bike system, establishing an innovative model for inter-county rail tourism collaboration. To integrate the recreational resources of Houlong Cape of Good Hope Scenic Area, the county received approval from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Administration in May 2024 for the “Baishatun to Cape of Good Hope Coastal Corridor Comprehensive Planning Project (白沙屯至好望角濱海重要廊帶整體規劃計畫),” with a total budget of NT$405 million. This project centers around the Mazu culture of Baishatun Gongtian Temple and the Cape of Good Hope Recreation Area, aiming to connect various recreational sites to establish an international tourism highlight in Miaoli and strengthen the county’s coastal tourism brand. Currently, both soft and hard infrastructure plans are in the bidding process. The project is proceeding on schedule, with completion expected by the end of 2027.