Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (right) is greeted by Derek Lardelli, leader of the Whangara Mai Tawhiti cultural group, with a traditional Maori greeting Oct. 29 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. (Courtesy of Taichung City Government)

A three-day festival with shows staged by 37 leading acts from home and abroad, including an indigenous prayer ceremony and a Maori dance, will mark the opening of the 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition Nov. 3 in the central Taiwan metropolis.
 
Organized by the local government and curated by Taipei City-based Paper Windmill Theater, the event will feature dance, music and drama performances staged on a fan-shaped arena in Shuinan Smart City. The metropolis’s vibrant cultural scene will be represented by 15 local groups including renowned Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Art Troupe and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra.
 
The opening night is expected to attract an audience of over 20,000, with shows focusing on the historical connection between people and flowers. Two 90-year-old members of the Atayal tribe—one of the 16 officially recognized indigenous groups in Taiwan—will perform traditional melodies and stage a prayer ceremony to bless the expo.
 
Drum performances by local groups as well as shows by foreign troupes including Las Minas Flamenco from Spain, Maori performing group Whangara Mai Tawhiti from New Zealand and Umkhathi Theater Works from Zimbabwe will feature during the remaining two days.
 
Running through April 24, 2019, the expo is themed The Sound of Blooming and will exhibit an array of native fruits and flowers, as well as showcase emerging environmental concepts and solutions. It is scheduled to take place at Fengyuan Huludun Park, Houli Horse Ranch and Forest Park Area and Waipu Park Area. (CPY-E)