TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan High Speed Rail is adding a dash of festive spirit for the Lunar New Year with free Year of the Horse spring couplets starting Monday.
The vibrant couplets celebrate the new N700ST trains, expected in Taiwan in August, and are decked out in THSR’s signature orange and festive gold. A lively galloping horse injects energy and good fortune into the design, according to CNA.
Passengers can collect couplets at service counters at all 12 stations. Originally scheduled from Tuesday to Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb. 16, the giveaway was moved up a day due to strong public interest.
Distribution takes place daily at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Each person is limited to one couplet while supplies last.
Spring couplets, or chunlian (春聯), are a centuries-old Lunar New Year tradition, typically displayed on either side of doorways or above doors and windows to invite luck and ward off misfortune, according to BenQ. The practice traces back to the legend of Shen Shu (神荼) and Yu Lu (鬱壘).
The brothers were said to stand under a large peach tree, inspecting and repelling countless harmful spirits. People began placing peachwood plaques bearing their portraits or names at doors, a tradition that gradually evolved into the spring couplets seen today.





