Miaoli, Taiwan, April 19 (CNA) The 2003 Tung Blossom Hakka Festival kicked off Saturday with a concert and poem-reciting session held at a mountain resort in the northern Taiwan county of Miaoli, a Hakka stronghold.
Addressing the opening ceremony, President Chen Shui-bian said he appreciates the Council for Hakka Affairs' (CHA's) efforts in organizing a carnival-style tung blossom festival annually to promote public recognition of Hakka culture, folk customs and beautiful scenery of the island's Hakka towns. "The annual tung blossom festival has helped enrich our cultural activities and promote tourism and economic development in our major Hakka communities," the president said, adding that the festival also offers tourists lavish opportunities to enjoy the scene of "snow in summer" created by the white tung flowers that look like snow falkes.