Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and Matsue Mayor Matsuura Masataka attended the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding at Taipei City Hall on July 6. The city of Matsue will be setting up booths at the upcoming 2010 Taipei International Garden and Horticulture Expo to showcase its famed peonies.
The city of Mastue, located in Shimane Prefecture of Japan, is well known for its achievements in growing peonies.
Mayor Hau invited his counterpart to the flower expo’s opening ceremony, slated for November 2010. He hopes that the guests from Matsue will bring their fabulous flowers to the expo and share it with flower-lovers from around the world. He also promised that the City will provide the best display environment for these plants at the expo, allowing visitors to experience the fresh beauty of these flowers.
Mayor Matsuura noted that Matsue possess the knowhow on how to make peony bloom in time for the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). He also looks forward to strengthening horticulture exchanges between the two cities.
During the ceremony, the two mayors joined Su Fung-nan – the former head of the Graduate School of Plastic Arts chair at National Taiwan University of the Arts – in putting on the final touches of a peony painting. Mayor Hau presented the finished work to Mayor Matsuura as a symbol of friendship between the two cities.