Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

In an effort to combine conservation with religious practices, Mayor Hau Lung-bin proposed the idea of using flowers as the main offering when he attended the Ghost (Chungyuan) Festival Ceremony at the Taipei Flowers Auction Corporation on August 21.
To help promote the concept, Taipei Flowers Auction Corporation prepared offerings comprising fresh flowers and replaced incense burner with flower scents. Spotlighting sunflowers, the “Wang Lai Flower Offering” set decorated the venue where over 1,000 participants joined the mayor in celebrating the important festival.
Hau remarked that replacing the smell of burning incense with flower essence at the ritual is a great way to promote the importance of environmental protection.
With the approach of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo, the mayor pointed out that Taipei Flowers Auction Corporation will be playing an important role during the event, allowing residents to purchase fresh horticulture products to beautify their homes.
He stressed that the flora expo will demonstrate the full potential of Taiwan in the fields of floriculture expertise and technology. The organizers are expecting 33 nations, 62 cities, and 91 related organizations to participate in this international event.