COVID-19 is rampant around the world again, and overseas travel is therefore not an ideal option. Idyllic Miaoli can make visitors feel as if they were on a vacation abroad, and magistrate Hsu Yao-chang recently visited the county’s super tourist attraction, West Lake Resortopia, to promote tourism in Miaoli.
At the resort, a dreamlike flower festival is being held for visitors to immerse in the “snow of May” - white blooming Tung flowers. Visitors can easily watch the flowers closely on hiking trails in the day, and watch fireflies at night. There are also colorful light projections and rhythmic music to impress people. Visitors can enjoy themselves throughout their trips in this romantic wonderland.
Wangyou Valley at the back of the resort is a famous firefly-watching site. Many like to take photos here. The photos are in fact often featured by a vast 7x7m “coin pennywort” field which looks slightly blue under dim light. When fireflies show up, the meadow seems to shine in yellow, green and blue like the famous “blue tears” of Matsu, just this phenomenon takes place in Sanyi.
West Lake Resortopia President Cheng Shun-fu noted that setting up 590nm street lights in conservation zones are helpful for protecting fireflies. Traffic and visitor control also allows fireflies to spread their living spaces. This year, during the Tung flower festival period (April 10 - May 6), 22,000 visitors have watched fireflies at the resort. The total number of visitors has thus reached 50,000, nearly two times more than in previous years. Also, for the first time, digital installations which represent the “snow of May” and the “blue tears of Sanyi” can be explored. Since it requires some luck to appreciate these two natural sights, and that it can be difficult to capture the scenes with camera lens, the installations enable all visitors to enjoy them, though artificially.
County magistrate Hsu Yao-chang said the county government is devoted to developing sustainable tourism, and this includes natural conservation with a wide range of measures. In recent years, the number of fireflies has increased, indicating that the county’s natural environment has been improved. Sanyi, Dahu and Sanwan Townships, as well as Zhuolan and Tongxiao Towns, are the main firefly-watching areas. In fact, it is never easy to restore firefly habitats. Visitors are therefore kindly requested not to make noises, turn on lights, step on meadows, catch fireflies, and contaminate the environment when they visit these places. Let’s protect the firefly paradises together and appreciate the graceful scenery. Let the lights of fireflies shine upon Miaoli and make it an incompatibly beautiful place.
