Introduction
Home to one of the birthplaces of ceramics in Taiwan, the area of Yingge has been involved in the trade for over two centuries. These days, ceramics technology and artistry has improved, and the area of Yingge has displayed life and creativity amidst the industry transformation. In addition to promoting the area’s cultural features and local businesses, the goal of this year’s Yingge Ceramics Festival is to implement concepts such as family interaction, environmental beautification, creative landscaping, life, and art to design a series of dynamically themed exhibitions. The event will also combine popular cycling and hiking activities to highlight Yingge’s recreational atmosphere, showing off the charm of local culture, helping the public become more acquainted with ceramics, and serving as a bridge to the international recreational/tourism industry. We hope that after the production of Yingge ceramics transforms from a traditional to an artistic industry, it will continue to progress toward becoming an International Ceramics Culture City.
Activities
1. Art and Cultural Exhibition
An event named “Beauty of Tea – An Exhibition of the Art of Living” integrates the tea industry into the art of living to create a vision of a dreamy landscape with winding brooks, Osmanthus wine, and tea broiled with mountain spring water. The vision is beautiful and full of culture, perfectly displaying the image of Shiding’s natural ecosystem, cultural and artistic aspects, as well as its local industry features.
2. Teashop on Waters
(a) Riverside Tea Tasting hosts a tea tasting ceremony for those who love drinking tea to enjoy tea by the riverside. The event brings together strangers to share the wonderful experience of traditional tea art.
(b) Tea Feast on Waters: Using tea as an ingredient to make tasty dishes and desserts whilst promoting Shiding Baozhong Tea andthe Oriental Beauty tea, local tea sellers are invited to a competition for coming up with a special and limited edition of tea product.
The winning product will be certified, thus giving people another good reason to visit Shiding to experience a taste of the local
delicacies.
(c) A Feast of Art and Tea: Enjoy the Tea Harvest Melody and other local songs while savoring tea. The event brings together a
collection of artists who can sing, draw, dance, and perform.
(d) Make Your Own Tea: This event offers visitors the experience of making their own tea. Visitors will learn about tea leaves and the production of tea, while gaining knowledge on the benefits of drinking tea, which will aid tea promotion.
3. Biking though Shiding
A biking route is designed to start from Shiding, pass through Wutu (North 47) to Getou. The event is designed for participants to witness the beauty of Shiding’s forests. Along the route there are various tea stops, which are derived from tea culture of the past.
4. A Visit in the Mountains
A route has been created that includes all the special and local shops and temples in Shiding, called the way to “Tour Shiding.” Thelocal shops and temples located along the path will be in charge of promoting their own attractions and providing tea for visitors when they are resting at their stop. For visitors who make purchases at the shop, the shop are encouraged to designate a tour guide to show visitors around the local attractions near the shops, giving thrm a chance to appreciate the beauty of Shiding.
5. Riverside Music Concert
(a) Classical Chinese Music vs. Traditional Chinese Tea
Under the warm rays of the sun, beautiful music surrounds us by the river. The artistic calling begins in the morning.
(b) Orchestra with English Tea
In the afternoon, the faint fragrance of ginger lilies encompasses the riverside. Along with the orchestral music, visitors enjoy their afternoon with English tea. Under this sort of atmosphere, it is as if everyone has turned into ladies and gentlemen, and even the fish in the rivers seem to swim with more grace.
Purpose
1. Create Artistic Lifestyle: Shiding is like a simple but beautiful jade, abundant in both natural resources and artistic elements. Thehope is that through this cultural event, Shiding’s artists and communities will be able to develop their creative skills, participate in local artistic and cultural events, in turn creating a quality artistic and cultural environment.
2. Local Participation: This cultural event will bring together the communities, schools, groups, shops, and cultural workers. The event will also create a sense of pride for local residents as they understand and embrace the culture of their location and, in turn, attract visitors from outside the area.
3. Sustainable Development of the Culture: Shiding will utilize the event to market its local features and promote artistic and cultural events; in doing so, it will develop local residents’ artistic and cultural appreciation and raise their quality of life. This cultural event is a way to strengthen the sustainable development of Shiding’s culture.
Local Attractions
Shiding Oriental Beauty Tea (Camellia hiemalis)
Shiding Oriental Beauty Tea is also known as Peng Feng Tea or Formosa Oolong Tea. The tea leaves are taken from the tender
leaves that have been bitten by the Jacobiasca formosana. Because of its high quality and rich flavor, the Shiding Oriental Beauty Tea has become vastly popular, and its price also went up with its popularity. Because it is very light in weight but is very high in price, it received its name “Peng Feng Tea,” which in Taiwanese means it looks bigger than it really is. Europeans favor the tea’s distinct color and fruity fragrance. When the tea leaves have been brewed, the shape resembles an oriental beauty dancing gracefully in water, which is how it derived its name Oriental Beauty Tea. The tea is best in quality when produced sometime between June and mid-July; it is the most fermented tea amongst different kinds of fermented teas. After it has been sun-dried, mixed, and roasted, it is left to sit for a period of time for the fragrance to settle; the resulting product is beautiful in appearance, rich in flavor, and is a special feature in Shiding’s tea culture.
Danlan (Pale Orchid) Ancient Path
The Danlan (Pale Orchid) Ancient Path was an important route between Tamsui Prefecture Administration Office and Kavalan
Prefecture Administration Office. The path begins at Monga and from there goes to Guting Village, Guanyin Peak, Shenkeng,
Shiding, Gongliao, Dali, and finally from Jiaoxi Street to Kavalan Prefecture Administration Office. In the past, Danlan Ancient Pathwas mainly used for transporting camphor oil and tea leaves; changing times and transportation mechanisms have rendered the passageway useless in terms of economic means. However, to preserve its historic and cultural contents, the path along the Shiding riverside was restored to its past glory. From the mouth of Shuangxi River, one can see the bright red suspension bridge over Shiding River. The Danlan Suspension Bridge has a length of 100 meters. Setting off from the newly renovated suspension bridge, walk up the steps and from there one can start the journey of the Danlan Ancient Path. Alongside the bridge pier foundation of National High way No. 3, the path disappears within the mountains; a few surprises are in store as the paths may be layered in stones or wooden boards, bringing more excitement to the adventure. The path will ultimately bring you to Shiding Old Street, ending the journey of a total distance of 2 kilometers.
Shiding East-West Street
Early Shiding development began with tea, popularizing the area with Wanshou Bridge as center, dividing the Shiding Old Street into East Street and West Street. Earlier development was in West Street, but when it became too crowded, the population began moving to East Street. Slowly, East Street also became very developed, and the entire street became the most affluent area in Shiding, winning its nickname of Little Dihua Street. Shiding Old Street was an important stop between Taipei and Yilan. Special “diaojiaolou” (a special kind of architecture with the ‘feet’ of the building hanging out) and Bujiantien (Can’t See the Sky) Street are popular tourist attractions. The buildings were created back when residents living along the riverside were competing for land-use; thus buildings were propped on long pillars, hovering over the streets, giving the place a mysteriously dark atmosphere. The delicious smell of tofu from Wang Ji Tofu and the century old stone houses full of historic and cultural meaning make it definitely worth a visit.
