Travel Blog: Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 4 - Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, 台湾之旅第四天 - 九族文化村, 10 Feb 15

Taiwan Trip Day 4: 10th Feb 2015, Tuesday - Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
台湾之旅第四天：2月10日2015年, 星期二 - 九族文化村

Alighting from the ropeway, we reached the entrance to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. We used our NT$990 Sun Moon Lake pass to gain access. It was the Sakura Festival (樱花祭), which was why we planned to visit the FACV for this trip to Sun Moon Lake. Then again I'm pretty sure the FACV would still be worth a visit without the Sakura Festival.

Coming from this side of the entrance would be a good idea because it goes downslope. By entering a the other side of the FACV via the entrance at the bottom of the slope would mean having to ascend the slope, which is not advisable.

And here go!

Lots of activities and special events just for this Sakura Festival.

With recognition by Japan Cherry Blossom Association, FACV's very own cultivated species of cherry blossom was given the name "九族百重樱".

Is this cherry blossom or plum blossom?

Many spiders spun their webs amidst the beautiful flora and fauna.

Another spot to take some pictures with plum blossoms.

Plum blossoms on both sides of this slope.

Just a short distance from the entrance, there was this God's Stone Pavilion (神石亭), where there was a shop selling ramen. Who can resist the aroma of piping hot ramen on a cold day? And since it was already noontime, it was the perfect time to take a break from the traveling in the morning to enjoy some comfort food. A set of ramen that came with edamame beans and assam tea drink cost only NT$190. What a steal.

A pavilion containing a shop that sells ramen.

The narutomaki has sakura design on it.

Oishii!

A warm bowl of ramen on a cold day. Simply awesome!

After the recharge of fuel to our tired bodies, we proceeded to explore further by following the slope and pathways. There were plenty of plum blossoms throughout the park so it was trigger-happy mode all the way. We reached a theatre where some performance was taking place. Performers were performing some aboriginal rituals and dances, where a huge crowd had already taken up most of the seats. We merely spent a few minutes watching the performance before heading for the next part of the village.

Beautiful tiki carvings.

Another great spot for photo-taking.

Momo appreciating the scents and sights.

Touch this giant penis statue and you will be blessed with many kids.

A huge stage to watch some performances by the aboriginals.

Performing some interesting dance.

This poor deer gets sacrificed.

We came to an area with several sectors, each representing one of the 9 tribes featured in this FACV. Each area exhibits some buildings, wax figurines of scenes of the aboriginals in their daily lives. We also came across a museum showcasing the various tools, clothes, handicraft, and all things related to the aboriginals.

We are entering the area of the Paiwan tribe.

Plum blossom trees all around us.

Red and pink overload.

Why must aboriginals decorate their places with skulls?

Wax figures showing how the aboriginals conduct some ritual.

Getting blessed by the village chief.

An area showcasing aboriginal fashion.

They are skilled artisans as can be seen from their exquisite woodwork.

A glass artist making glass jewellery.

A scene showing the aboriginals doing some war dance or ritual.

I'm joining in the fun. Hahhh!

Mourning the loss of a tribe member.

Here is a huge plum blossom tree.

Another picture that can be used as wallpaper.

This poor monkey could end up as supper.

Japanese carp streamers or koinobori line up the road.

The next area was an area covered with cherry blossoms. There was even a road named The Avenue of Cherry Blossoms, with rows of cherry blossoms on both sides of it. One might feel like they had been transported to Japan, where you get surrounded by cherry blossoms.

The Avenue of Cherry Blossoms.

Another species of cherry blossoms.

Another nice portrait here for mobile phone wallpaper.

Tried some bamboo rice.

Never enough of taking pictures with these wonders of nature.

A swarm of koi fish in this pond fascinates these visitors.

The next part of the FACV was a theme park area, where many joyrides were available. It was a pretty cold day and therefore there were not many visitors eager to try these rides. Perhaps the main purpose of visiting FACV was for the Sakura Festival for most visitors, including ourselves. We skipped the rides and moved on to an area with a large garden, with a train running around its perimeter. Of course we wouldn't miss this since it was a good way to view the whole garden without having to walk.

We have arrived at the theme park area.

Many rides available for thrill-seekers.

A Mayan village.

The other entrance of FACV.

A large field with many colourful sheep.

A huge roman fountain in the middle.

This garden must take a lot of effort to maintain.

This huge garden takes quite a while to walk from end to end.

This is one of the stations for the garden train.

All aboard!

There is even a carriage carrying some logs on the train.

Mascots of FACV.

After the tour of the garden, it was time to check out the indoor theme park area, where there were carnival games and even indoor rides for kids. I tried my hands on an old-school hit-the-cans game but ultimately only managed to win some consolation prizes.

Playing some carnival games.

Indoor theme park for the kids.

By the time I was done with the games, the sky has gone dark and all the lights in the FACV was turned on. This meant a different look to the entire FACV, meaning more picture opportunities. But before that, we went for dinner at the indoor area and got ourselves two chicken thigh sets at NT$180 each. Not the best chicken thigh though. Would have opted for ramen again.

Mesmerizing night lights.

Chicken leg set to fill up our famished tummies.

And coffee to warm the soul.

Momorange enjoys their dinner at FACV.

After dinner, the sky was totally dark. There were more performances throughout the night. One such performance was at the bottom entrance of the FACV, where the performers, in their traditional costumes, performed some aboriginal dance and playing with fire. We visited another part of the FACV where rows of trees were illuminated with lights of various colours, making it a surreal experience.

A late night fire performance out in the cold.

The performer braves the cold to entertain visitors.

This tunnel of trees illuminates with various colours throughout the night.

We are guessing it wouldn't look as nice without these lights.

Some light show over at this pond area.

Amazed at how the half-naked performers are able to withstand the cold.

We returned to the huge garden area, and this time round, the buildings, stations and fountain were adorned with colourful lights as well. What a beautiful sight. This garden was definitely worth visiting during the day and as well as at night. And it was only during this Cherry Blossom Festival that visitors were able to stay at the FACV till late. Normal operating hours were only until 5pm at most.

This building in the garden all decked in colourful lights!

This fountain looks amazing at night.

Even the train station lights up in style.

The only problem with leaving the FACV at 8pm was getting back to our accommodation. There were dozens of taxis waiting outside the entrance so that would be one option. Alternatively, you could take a bus from the bus-stop right outside the entrance of FACV to take you back to Shuishe Visitor Centre as well. We decided a taxi ride would be the fastest and most comfortable way and hence we took a taxi back at a price of NT$400.

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

Address: No. 45, Chihtien Lane, Yuchih Township, Nantou County 55544, Taiwan
Customer Service Hotline: 886-49-2898835
Website: http://www.nine.com.tw/webe/html/information/index.aspx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/facv.nine?ref=hl

Links to our Taiwan Trip 2015

Day 1
Day 2 - Pingxi Line Day Trip
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 5 - Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining
Day 6
Day 7
Souvenirs