To transform the county into a livable, tourist-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 woodcarving art and culture, from April to September 2025, two major exhibitions by renowned woodcarving artists were organized, along with 86 artist-in-residence sessions. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum, a series of special exhibitions and themed programs were held, including the “Sanyi Traditional Woodcarving Skill Development Program,” the “International Wood Sculpture Exchange Exhibition,” the “Taiwan International Competition Exhibition of Wood Sculpture,” and the “Asia Youth Woodcarving Training Camp,” attracting approximately 57,000 visitors. In addition, the “Museum and Local Cultural Centers Development Program (博物館及地方文化館深耕計畫)” was implemented with eight local institutions participating, fostering collaboration and resource sharing among local museums, schools, and communities to share resources, cultivate talent, and enhance sustainability.

　Second, in promoting performing and visual arts, the county organized the “2025 Miaobei Arts Festival,” a flagship cultural brand event featuring four highly acclaimed themed programs - “Masters of Art,” “Classical Symphony,” “Classic Artists,” and “Classic Theatre Works.” Through the fusion of diverse cultures and creative innovation, the festival continued to drive regional arts development, enhance program production capacity, and strengthen Miaobei’s position as a representative cultural brand. In addition, the “Miaoli County Artists Invitational Exhibition” was held, presenting exhibitions by local talents, including photographer Wan-fang Liu and oil painter Xiu-ming Gao, showcasing the county’s rich and diverse artistic creativity. The “8th Miaoli Performing Arts Festival” was also successfully held, invigorating local culture, expanding artistic participation, and creating a vibrant new image for the performing arts in Miaoli.

　In advancing Hakka affairs, the county continued to achieve outstanding results. In 2024, both the “Promoting Hakka as the Common Language Project” and the “Local Hakka Development Project” received “Excellence” ratings from the Hakka Affairs Council, earning the county a total of NT$6 million in awards. In addition to cooperating with the Council to promote Hakka language use, the Bureau also partnered with the Ministry of Culture under the “National Languages Development Plan (國家語言發展計畫)” to launch the “Miaoli County Government Taiwanese Family Language Cultivation Project (苗栗縣政府推動培育台語家庭計畫),” aiming to revive native languages in everyday life. Major cultural events were also organized, including the “Hakka Tung Blossom Festival,” the “Hakka Folk Songs, Ba-yin Music, and Tea-Picking Opera Performance,” and the “Hakka Youth International Affairs Mission.” Furthermore, the Bureau assisted the townships of Miaoli, Toufen, Sanyi, Nanzhuang, Dahu, Tongxiao, Yuanli, Sanwan, and Zhuolan in obtaining Hakka Affairs Council subsidies to support the preservation of the Hakka language, promote traditional festivals and arts, and encourage cultural and industrial innovation, together creating a Hakka-friendly environment and revitalizing local industries in Hakka communities.

　In developing the cultural and creative industries, the county continued to host the “Miaoli Pottery Arts Festival,” promoting local craftsmanship and revitalizing the Miaoli Ceramic and Agricultural Innovation Park (苗栗陶瓷農創園區) to enhance visitor services and modernize its image. Public facilities such as exterior walls and restrooms were beautified with contemporary design elements, while the park was further transformed into a sales and exhibition hub for ceramics and agricultural specialty products. Twelve commercial spaces, including exhibition halls (1F & 2F), restaurants, cafés, traditional craft zones, workshops, the iStation space (i站空間), and kilns, were opened for lease, with 8 tenants including the Miaoli County Farmers’ Association, Kung Kuan Farmers’ Association, GUO PIN Enterprise Co., Ltd., Revolve Pottery (旋轉陶器), HAKKA-LIFE Design Studio, Hui-mei Ye Pottery Studio (葉慧美陶工坊), the Miaoli County Cultural and Arts Association (苗栗縣文化藝術協會), and the Miaoli County Golden Township Alliance (苗栗縣黃金小鎮協進會). Operations began on January 1, 2025, with the park now open five days a week. The Bureau also secured Ministry of Culture funding for the Miaoli Style Cultural and Creative Brand Value Enhancement Program, which selected outstanding local creative products for exhibitions, business matchmaking, and brand development, further promoting Miaoli’s cultural identity and creative economy.

　In the field of cultural heritage preservation, Miaoli currently possesses a range of tangible cultural assets, including 1 national monument, 17 county-designated historic sites, 63 historic buildings, 4 cultural landscapes, 16 general antiques, and 1 historical site. Its intangible cultural heritage includes 6 folk traditions, 8 traditional performing arts with 14 registered practitioners, 7 traditional crafts with 16 practitioners, 1 oral tradition with 4 inheritors, and 1 technical preservationist, as well as 23 items and 41 practitioners or groups of Indigenous cultural heritage. The county is also preparing Issue No. 62, themed around “Miaoli County Communal Kitchens.” To protect key heritage sites, the county secured NT$136.35 million in central government funding to conduct restoration work on the “Former Taiwan Provincial Food Bureau Miaoli Warehouse (原台灣省糧食局苗栗倉庫)” (Phase II) and the “Nanzhuang Tianmei Yonghe Temple.” The warehouse will be renovated into a multifunctional cultural venue - housing a Hakka literature lecture hall and local revitalization space - and is now undergoing investment promotion. Once completed, it will serve as a new cultural and leisure landmark. Meanwhile, restoration work on the Nanzhuang Tianmei Yonghe Temple, an important local religious center, will ensure the preservation of its historic architecture and enduring cultural significance.

　In tourism management, the county currently has 56 hotels, 359 homestays, 3 amusement enterprises, and 19 hot spring operators. The county continues to assist new businesses in obtaining permits, while conducting regular and ad-hoc inspections to improve lodging quality and visitor safety. In the campground sector, 80 sites have already received first-phase approval for use. Ongoing surveys, inspections, and registrations ensure proper management and the sustainable development of a safe and well-regulated camping industry.

　In promoting tourism marketing, the county’s official “TourMiaoli” Facebook page has attracted over 270,000 followers. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Nanzhuang Route has served 35,000 passengers as of September 30, 2025. To stimulate post-pandemic tourism recovery, the county collaborated with the Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, to participate in the “Tourism Spotlight Award” selection program. Miaoli County received five national honors, including being part of the “Top 10 Scenic Facilities Award” for “Charming World Heritage, International Slow City - Old Mountain Line Rail Bike” and “Meet Shei-Pa National Park & Tour Xuejian - Xuejian Visitor Center”; the “Best Popularity Award” for the Old Mountain Line Rail Bike; and was also included in the “Top 10 Activity Experiences Award” and “Best International Recommendation Award” for “Tour Guanwu with Formosan Salamander - Shei-Pa National Park Summer Ecological Interpretation Series.” Through innovative thematic marketing such as “Island Party Every Month (環島月月party),” combined with the romantic April Tung Blossom Festival, the six major tourism highlights, and dual stamp collection and prize giveaway activities, the county launched a series of events under the theme “Taiwan Tourism 100 Spotlights - Brilliant Miaoli (台灣觀光100亮點-苗栗精彩耀眼).” Running from April 1 to October 31, 2025, this initiative aimed to offer every visitor unforgettable memories while showcasing the county’s upgraded tourism highlights, setting new milestones in Miaoli’s cultural tourism development and revitalizing the local travel industry.

　Finally, in enhancing cultural and tourism infrastructure, the “Minghu Riverside Recreation Corridor Highlights Plan” received NT$204.4 million in central funding. Centered on the theme of “One Lake, Two Islands, Three Circles, Four Revitalization Projects, and Five Major Themes,” the plan reimagines the Mingde Reservoir Scenic Area in collaboration with the Miaoli Management Office of the Irrigation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, establishing a new regional tourism brand. Most related construction was completed in early 2024, with investment promotion under the “Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects” to be finalized by April 2025. The “Miaoli Hakka Literature Park Visitor Center Renovation Project” and the “Miaoli Hakka Literature Park Project (Phase III)” have been successively carried out, with planning and design completed in June and August 2024, respectively. In March 2023, the county government submitted a proposal to the Hakka Affairs Council for funding to support landscaping across the park’s 18.5-hectare area. The “Miaoli Hakka Literature Park Landscape Project” subsequently received a NT$295 million subsidy in August 2023, with the design completed and construction officially commencing on December 26, 2024. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. In addition, the investment promotion in the area was finalized on August 12, 2024, with land handover completed. The construction period is set for three years, with operations scheduled to begin in August 2027. The private sector investment exceeds NT$600 million, and the project will integrate the park’s Hakka cultural landscape to create a boutique-style cultural lodging complex. The initiative was also honored with the Ministry of Finance’s 2024 Award for Excellence in Public-Private Partnership Promotion (招商卓越獎). Meanwhile, the Houlong Riverside Park will soon launch “Miaoli County’s first Versatile Cultural and Creative Film Studio,” scheduled to officially open on December 1, 2025. Since its launch on July 1, 2019, the Old Mountain Line Rail Bike has attracted over three million visitors. To align with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ railway tourism policy, plans are underway to extend the line north to Sanyi Station and south to Old Taian Station and Houli Station. The extension will adopt a multi-modal transport system, connecting with the Taiwan Railways Main Line at Sanyi and Houli Stations to form a circular rail tourism network, enhancing regional connectivity and tourism development. Furthermore, to integrate the tourism and recreational resources of the Houlong Cape of Good Hope Scenic Area, the county secured NT$405 million in funding from the Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, in May 2024, for the “Baishatun to Cape of Good Hope Coastal Corridor Comprehensive Planning Project.” Centered around the Mazu culture of Baishatun Gongtian Temple and the Cape of Good Hope Recreation Area, the project aims to connect major coastal attractions, establish a new international tourism highlight for Miaoli, and strengthen the county’s coastal tourism brand. Both software and hardware components are currently being implemented in line with the project schedule, with completion expected by the end of 2027.