“2023 Ershui International Water Running Festival,” the annual grand folk cultural celebration of Changhua County, will take place in Ershui Township on Nov. 4th to Nov. 5th, including a series of exciting campaigns organized by Changhua County Government together with following units: Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Management Office, Water Resources Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs(WRA, MOEA), Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation of the Ministry of Agriculture (ARDSWC, MOA) and Ershui Township Office. The publicity press conference was held at the Mr. Lin Temple in Ershui Township this morning (18th), attended by Changhua County Mayor Wang HuiMei and others, such as Cao ZhongYou, Acting Director of Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Management Office, Li YouPing, General-Director of Fourth River Management Branch of WRA, Chen CunKai, General-Director of Nantou Branch of ARDSWC, and Su Jieqin, Mayor of Ershui Township. County Mayor Wang expressed her gratitude to the central and local governments for their concerted efforts to make the local area more progressive. For the 300th anniversary of the founding of Changhua County, the county government invited Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Culture Group (明華園) to produce a commemorative play called "The Legend of Pa Pao Chun" (八堡圳傳奇), which is adapted from the tales of Shih ShihPang and Mr. Lin, to make audiences understand the history of Changhua and further carry out the virtue of “When you drink water, think of the source.” The 2023 Ershui International Water Running Festival will be held after autumn harvest from November 4th to November 5th with 5 major campaigns. The public is sincerely welcome to come to Ershui to enjoy the water running festival. The 5 major campaigns in this event are as follows: 1. Water Festival Reminds Us Where We Come From(祭典巡禮水思源): Includes a series of activities to kiff off the festival starting from 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 4th at Mr. Lin Temple in Ershui Township, which are Opening Ceremony, Thanksgiving Ceremony, The Canal Gate Ceremony (圳頭祭), and The Water Running Ritual of the Sacred Palanquin (神轎跑水); 2. Let’s Get Wet at the Water Dance Show to Greet the Guests (浪漫水圳濕背秀): Sun Son Theater (身聲跨劇場) to participate in the Creative Running Show on November 4th, hoping to bring the public a new feast for the eyes; 3. Join the Farm Feast to Experience the Country Life (農村饗宴庄腳味): Includes Traditional Local Food Feast (古早味農村饗宴), Tug of War in Black Mud (足踏黑泥力拔山河), Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (大地豐收感恩祭), and Farmers' Market (農產推廣市集). Chef Shen YouZe, the winner of National Chef Competition (全國總舖師辦桌大車拼), will make delicacies with eggplant, white bitter gourd, Ershui rice and other ingredients. From now until October 24th, the online registration is open to the public to book early to avoid disappointment; 4. Join the Musical Feast for a Picnic and Have Fun With the Taiwanese Traditional Toy (音樂野餐童玩趣): Includes family facilities, Concert on the Grass (草地音樂會) and Water Running Festival Party (跑水之夜晚會). The evening party singers include ChenYo, Stan Chen, Huang Xitian, Caotun Boyz, and the popular singer Rachel Liang in the finale; 5. Go Cycling or Strolling For a Treasure Hunt (鐵馬鐵腿尋寶行): Enables the participants to take the DT-668, known as the “King of Locomotives,” explore Ershui on foot, or experience the beauty of Ershui on a bicycle. Thanks to the application to the National Development Council for the "AR Bilingual Guide System for the Ershui International Water Running Festival" by Changhua County Cultural Affairs Bureau, the public can download and use the APP to experience bilingual AR reality exploration while visiting Ershui in Changhua. The AR online merge offline APP enables users to understand local culture and redeem gifts after completed the real-life puzzle game. In addition, the long-awaited DT-668 steam locomotive will take tourists to Ershui to experience Taiwan's unique Water Running in Canal activity on the morning of November 4th. On top of that, the Mayor of Tsubetsu Town, Hokkaido, Japan, a sister city of Ershui, and relevant members are invited to join this festival this year, hoping to gradually promote Ershui to the world through this event. The festival this year features specially the "National Locomotive Treasure to Ershui for Town Tour and Water Running Fun" activity to promote local mini-tours. Tourists participate in this activity will take a train pulled by the DT-668 steam locomotive on the morning of November 4th to Ershui Township in Changhua to experience Taiwan's unique “Water Running in Canal” activity and taste the traditional local dishes. The tour will be available for sale online from 10 a.m. on October 19th, with a limit of 150 people. For more information, please contact Mr. Cai at 04-8790100, ext. 130 of the Ershui Township Office. Welcome the public to sign up for a tour of Ershui. The festival takes "Inheritance of Historical Names, and Tour around Canal by Rail, Bike and on Foot" as the main axis, combining Ershui history and culture, Ershui Old Street and local specialty agricultural product, to involve 5 major campaigns, which are "Water Festival Reminds Us Where We Come From”, “Let's Get Wet at the Water Dance Show to Greet the Guests”, “Join the Farm Feast to Experience the Country Life”, “Join the Musical Feast for a Picnic and Have Fun With the Taiwanese Traditional Toy”, and “Go Cycling or Strolling For a Treasure Hunt". This year, the Mayor of Tsubetsu Town, Hokkaido, Japan, a sister city of Ershui, and related members are invited to Ershui to experience its local special event which is full of cultural heritage. The water running experience activities are held based on the three principles of "Roots Seeking”, “Gratitude”, and “More Local". In conjunction with travel agencies, the “Tours for the Legend of Pa Pao Chun” activity has been planned with different themed routes for one-day, two-day, and three-day tours to attract the tourists all over Taiwan, enabling participants to learn more about the local stories of Changhua Ershui, promoting local development, and marketing the agricultural and creative industries. It is hoped that this activity will attract drifters to return home to invest in the local industries. "AR Bilingual Guide System for the Ershui International Water Running Festival" APP is available on the app system for the public to download and use. In addition, Sun Son Theatre is invited to participate in the performance of Creative Running Show (創意跑水秀), showing the multi-talented artists breaking boundaries and integrating different styles of artistic street performances in colorful and lively tones. In order to promote the characteristics of Ershui Township, several exciting and rich activities are scheduled on Nov 4th and 5th, including Grass Carnival (跑水草地親子嘉年華), Tug of War in Black Mud (足踏黑泥力拔山河), Creative Running Show (創意跑水秀), Family Areas and Facilities (小小列車長鐵道櫻花體驗趣), Craft Market (特色文創市集) which includes exhibition sales of special agricultural products from all over Changhua and creative DIY activities that incorporate local traditional characteristics, and Promotion for Cherishing Water Resource and Rivers activity with a Prized-Quiz which is co-organized with the Fourth River Management Branch of WRA. The most exciting parts in the Water Running Festival are Concert on the Grass (草地音樂會) and Water Running Festival Party (跑水之夜晚會) held at the Original Heart of the Water Prairie (水心之初大草原) on Nov. 4th from 2:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Performers for the Concert include Amin who uses water pipes as musical instruments, Meet and Greet with POLI, a big star in the children's world, Faye.Z, the popular singer in StreetVoice, Chen Hua, a new talent in the music industry, Yang Jing, who has multiple best-selling albums, and Men Envy Children, a popular creative pop band. As for the Party, there will be the girl group ChenYo, Stan Chen, the designated artist for many major events, Huang Xitian who is famous for film, music and television, Caotun Boyz, the new generation hip-hop group, and the popular singer Rachel Liang in the finale. All of them make every effort to bring the atmosphere of the event to the highest point, turning Ershui Township into a city that never sleeps. "2023 Love Ershui Water Marathon," co-hosted by the Ershui Township Office and the Changhua County Marathon Association, will take place on Nov. 5th, inviting jogging lovers from all over Taiwan to Pa Pao Chun in Ershui Township to experience the fun of an innovative water marathon, and to understand and feel the painstaking work of our ancestors in pioneering land and then to cherish blessings, recognize blessings and be gratitude. It is very convenient for the public to travel to Ershui to participate in the Water Running Festival. Those who take the train can get off at Ershui Station. There are shuttle buses on Nov. 4th and Nov. 5th, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., every 20 minutes. Optionally, those who take the Taiwan Railway (TTR) Jiji Line can get off at Yuanquan Station and then walk to the venue in just 5 minutes. The Changhua County Government and Ershui Township Office invite everyone in Taiwan to visit Changhua Ershui from November 4th to November 5th, to reminisce about old times and childhood fun, to travel through time and space to experience the splendour of Ershui, to enjoy the white pomelo which is a specialty of Ershui, and to experience the unique canal festival in Taiwan. Everyone is welcome to join the "2023 Ershui International Water Running Festival" to enjoy both sensibility and intellectuality of the cultural festival. For more information, please visit the website of Changhua County Cultural Affairs Bureau, or the event website at https://ershuiwaterun.tw/ Traditional Local Food Feast Online Registration Form: https://www.beclass.com/rid=284b35c651c428fb248e For DT-668 Steam Locomotive registration, please contact Mr. Cai, Ershui Township Office, 04-8790100, ext 130.
