TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Groups of travelers continue to gather in the grounds of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall to witness the bloom of Taipei’s cherry blossoms as the Lunar New Year holidays come to a close.
Lunar New Year means a boom in tourists for Taiwan’s capital, and the grand architecture of CKS Memorial Hall always draws in significant crowds. Throngs of visitors can be seen at the landmark capturing the first sign of the changing seasons.
People appear eager to snap the beautiful scenery as a canvas of pink and white petals begins to blanket the peripheries of the park.
Cherry blossoms are normally forecast to begin flowering around mid-February in Taipei and are usually in full bloom by early March, at the height of the YangMingShan Flower Festival (陽明山花季). The warmer weather this winter is likely to have brought the flowers into bloom early.
The YangMingShan Flower Festival Facebook page indicates that the bloom will last until the end of February this season. Citizens and visitors are recommended to take advantage of the remaining few days of the holiday to take a stroll around the nature reserve and witness the spectacle while it lasts.
People are eager to catch the bloom while it lasts (Taiwan News image)
Taiwan’s picturesque landscapes are likely one of many reasons it continues to gain popularity as an international tourist destination.
The country celebrated its 11 millionth visitor last year for the first time ever. Taiwan was also recently ranked as the number one vacation spot among Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year.