In the recent half-year (during April 1, 2018 to August 15, 2018), the practical operation achievements of the Culture and Tourism Bureau were as follows: 

First of all, in the aspect of promoting cultural woodcarving, the bureau has actively planned and managed 14 sessions of “Guest Exhibition of Well-Known Woodcarving Artists” that attracted 3,642 visitors. There were a series of activities held, including the “International Exchange Exhibition of Wood Sculpture”, “Winner’s Exhibition of Taiwan International Wood Sculpture Competition” and “2018 Asian Youth Woodcarving Arts Workshop”. The number of visitors participating in the Guest Exhibition of Well-Known Woodcarving Artists and relevant series activities was over 35,000 people. 

Second, in the aspect of promoting exhibitions and art performance activities, the bureau has managed 11 special exhibitions, including “ Exhibition at National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall”, “Transcription and Reading from Ancient to Contemporary Times - Zheng Hui-Xiong Calligrapher’s Exhibition”, and “North Taiwan of 8 Cities Artists Group Show” that attracted a total number of visitors that was over 15,000 people. In the aspect of performing arts, the bureau has managed a total of 21 sessions including the “2018 Spring Madness Tongyuan Lawn Musical Festival”, Miaoli Chinese Orchestra Elementary Performance and Cultural and Arts Touring Activities of the Performing Arts Group that attracted more than 21,000 participants to listen and watch these performances. In addition, this year, the bureau held the 4th Street Artist’s Certified Activity and a total of 73 sessions of dynamic performing arts activities. A total of 23 sessions of static visual art exhibitions were held, and the total number of participants listening and watching the performances was over 51,324 people. 

In the aspect of promoting localized culture, there were 58 sessions of “Beautiful Round House - Summer and Autumn Art Performance” held at the Hakka Round House, and there was a total of about 120,000 participants. Besides, cultural activities of folk festivals held by 6 township offices with the subsidy from the Hakka Affairs Council attracted a total of 15,000 participants. The bureau has managed the “2018 Promotion Plan of Hakka Folk Songs and Tea-Picking Opera” to subsidize a total of 30 classes, including 27 folk song classes and 3 tea-picking opera classes, and the total number of performers was about 1,000 people, and the total number of participants was about 4,000 people. In 2018, the number of people registered in the Hakka Language Proficiency Certification Examination held by the county was up to 4,230 people, and 100 friendly shops/communities were certified to manage the “Implementation Plan of the Overall Hakka Language Environment - 2018 Certification Workshop of Zhoulan Raoping Hakka Language”. The bureau has put forward activity proposals, including “Romantic Provincial Highway No.3 - Aerial Photography Marketing Promotion of Hakka Villages”, “2018 Rice Township and Kumquat Aroma-Fun Kumquat Harvest”, “2018 Miaoli Zhoulan Township Tourism Manpower Training Program”, “2018 ‘In-Village Crafts Demonstration’ Shitan Township Hakka Rural Experience Program”, and “Miaoli 2018 ‘Wind of September, Soaring Eagles, Aromatic Delicacy’ Kite Culture and Hakka Food Festival”. 
In the aspect of cultural and creative industries, the bureau has held 5 sessions of Video Artworks Appreciation Lectures, 1 session of photography exhibition, and arranged for the community youth artists to perform at the High Speed Rail Miaoli Station. There also were about 300 participants. The bureau managed the “2018 Miaoli Cultural Creativity Certification and Recheck Plan” to provide the county’s cultural and creative business owners with a promotional platform. An exhibition was held at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and took the three arts and crafts, “woodcarving, ceramics and weaving”, as principles. Also, cultural and creative business owners were invited to perform in 6 sessions of craftsman interactive activities to promote Miaoli’s cultural and creative capability. The number of participants was over 45,280 people. Besides, the bureau has planned to hold “2018 Window of Taiwan - Miaoli Cultural and Creative Craft Exhibition” at Taoyuan International Airport with the theme of Miaoli’s arts and crafts, as well as the Rail Bike image promotion to continuously operate the Miaoli Cultural Park, where Rich Healthy Fruits & Vegetable Corp. has been stationed since July 1, 2018 and the operation has been based on “one exhibition, two kilns, three traditional industries” to bring back the glamor of traditional industry. Moreover, the “Upgrading Plan for Miaoli Cultural Park Hakka Ceramics Cultural and Creative Park Area” was held at the site with an NTD 5.8 million subsidy from the Hakka Affairs Council. It’s estimated that the rebuilding of “Miaoli Kiln” will be completed by September this year. 

In the aspect of promoting cultural estate conservation: renovate the main building of historical architecture and continue implementing the detailed renovation design scheme and responsive plan under the project of “Historical Dormitory Buildings at Datong Road, Nanzhuang Township”. Renovate the two constructions of “County Designated Historical Site Shanjiao Cai Family’s Jiyang Tang” and “Landscape Improvement Project of Taiwan Railway Jiushan Line”, as well as make supervising and execution reports. Besides, contract the constructions of the “Restoration Construction Project of the Historical Tongxiao Shenshe Recreational Center and Structure Supporting Construction Project of the Office Affairs Center”. In accordance with the Operation Regulations of the County’s Resource Area of Cultural Estate or the Stationing Operation Regulation of Public Halls and Centers, the bureau executes the conservations of the “Cultural Landscape at Chuhuangkeng” and “A Potential World Heritage Site - Taiwan Railway Jiushan Line Area”. Additionally, the bureau has actively managed the editing, design and printing of the 56th and 57th volumes of the Miaoli Archive (Investigation Plan of the Cultural Industry at Zhihu, Miaoli) as well as the compilation of the 58th and 59th volume of the Miaoli Archive. 

In the aspect of promoting tourism marketing, in addition to the Tong Blossom Wedding that invites the general public’s participation nationwide, the county’s Tung blossom scenic attractions and wedding photo-shooting scenic spots are recommended to travelers around the nation. The mascot “Meow Leopard Ca”t is used as a media that promotes tours in the area of the country, and a Facebook fan page named “Tour Miaoli” is themed with the mascot has attracted a number of more than 65,000 fans that has made itself an important social networking platform of external marketing on the Internet. The brand-new Cultural Tourism Website has attracted over 9.52 million visitors ever since its launch for public reviewing. For the first time, the promotion of the county’s Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Nanzhuang Line incorporated with the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has adopted multi-marketing strategy that encourages the general public to ride. During January 2018 to June 2018, the number of passengers was up to 69,028 people. The county has a total of 20 New Information Stations, including 8 stations under the subsidy from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which has benefited the overall enhancement of travel service quality. For focusing on the marketing promotion of Cittaslow International, the bureau has designed the walking map of Cittaslow International. Also, the County Government has coordinated the sources of each unit to manage a series activities to promote Cittaslow. Furthermore, the combination of the local residents of Twin Cittaslow, as well as the cohesion of the consensus of Cittaslow and features of the marketing industry have made the micro-economy in Cittaslow develope to gradually encourage visitors to take a journey of “slowness” in Miaoli and enjoy the county’s most unique signatures, including slow food, roaming, and the journey of slow living. We are making the Taiwan Railway Miaoli Jiushan Line become a tourist attraction that brings international tourism potential to Miaoli County, thus enhancing Miaoli’s tourism environment and making Miaoli march forward to become a new burgeoning international attraction. Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications has approved the total NTD305.1276 million budget on December 1, 2015, and the execution period during 2016 and 2018 in the completion of the nation’s only operation of a rail bike trail. The planning area is the Jiushan Line Rail, including the surrounding areas of the stations. Besides, in accordance with cross-district regional tourism development, the Taichung Floral Expo is included into the range of exploration. The plan set the rail, with a length of 15.6 km between Sanyi station and Houli station, as the actual area of execution. The right of using the rail in the length of 3.6km between Shengxing Station and Yutengping Station was approved by the Taiwan Railways Administration to provide the county with first-stage rights to revitalization and reuse the railway. 

Looking into the future, the government will take twin the Cittaslow of Sanyi and Nanzhuang as the center, as well as make ancillary facilities between Sanyi Station and Houli Station more comprehensive to drive cross-region development in the neighboring towns and cities. Next year, the bureau will gradually launch the series activities of “International Cittaslow” and complete the establishment of the nation’s only Global Legacy of Rail to Bike Trail Movement. Concurrently, the integrated communications and marketing of international wood carving, international floral expo, and Cittaslow International will attract tourists including Mainland Chinese tourists to take journeys to Miaoli, thus driving the overall development of the county’s tourism and recreation and practically fulfilling the vision goals of the general administration, “Leaping Miaoli, a Happy City”.