<strong>Pingxi Lantern Festival: </strong> Every year, thousands flock to the Taiwan village of Pingxi for the Lantern Festival. Visitors write their wishes on paper lanterns and release them into the sky in the hopes that their ancestors will answer their prayers.
Pingxi Lantern Festival: Every year, thousands flock to the Taiwan village of Pingxi for the Lantern Festival. Visitors write their wishes on paper lanterns and release them into the sky in the hopes that their ancestors will answer their prayers.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>Easy day trip:</strong> Pingxi is about 40 minutes away from Taiwan's capital, Taipei.
Easy day trip: Pingxi is about 40 minutes away from Taiwan's capital, Taipei.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>A peaceful getaway: </strong>Pingxi is a former coal-mining town that transports visitors back to a period when life moved slower. Its name means "peaceful creek" in Mandarin.
A peaceful getaway: Pingxi is a former coal-mining town that transports visitors back to a period when life moved slower. Its name means "peaceful creek" in Mandarin.
Marian Liu/CNN
<strong>100 years of wishes: </strong>The <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventaiwan.tw%2Fcal_en%2Fcal_19543https%3A%2F%2Fguidetotaipei.com%2Fvisit%2Fpingxi-%25E5%25B9%25B3%25E6%25BA%25AA" target="_blank" target="_blank">Pingxi Lantern Festival</a> takes place on the last day of the Lunar New Year and has been celebrated for over 100 years.
100 years of wishes: The Pingxi Lantern Festival takes place on the last day of the Lunar New Year and has been celebrated for over 100 years.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>Then and now:</strong> The photo on the left shows Pingxi in 1967 while the right is present day.
Then and now: The photo on the left shows Pingxi in 1967 while the right is present day.
Courtesy/ Martin Yen, CNN/ Marian Liu
<strong>Bamboo wishes: </strong>For around $1, visitors can write a wish on a piece of bamboo, which is hung along a fence in the village.
Bamboo wishes: For around $1, visitors can write a wish on a piece of bamboo, which is hung along a fence in the village.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>Track-side: </strong>The bamboo wishes hang in a row alongside the railroad tracks in Pingxi.
Track-side: The bamboo wishes hang in a row alongside the railroad tracks in Pingxi.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>Little Niagara of Taiwan: </strong>Just a 10-minute drive from Pingxi is the so-called "Little Niagara of Taiwan," in Shifen.
Little Niagara of Taiwan: Just a 10-minute drive from Pingxi is the so-called "Little Niagara of Taiwan," in Shifen.
Marian Liu/CNN
<strong>Railway Sausage: </strong>You Su Zheng grills snacks at her restaurant, Railway Sausage.
Railway Sausage: You Su Zheng grills snacks at her restaurant, Railway Sausage.
Marian Liu/CNN
<strong>Railway Sausage:</strong> You Su Zheng grills as many as 1,000 handmade sausages -- stuffed with parsley, garlic, cucumbers and garlic -- each day.
Railway Sausage: You Su Zheng grills as many as 1,000 handmade sausages -- stuffed with parsley, garlic, cucumbers and garlic -- each day.
Marian Liu/CNN
<strong>Many shapes and sizes:</strong> There are multiple lantern colors to choose from. There are also lanterns shaped like animals, including cats, monkeys and pandas.
Many shapes and sizes: There are multiple lantern colors to choose from. There are also lanterns shaped like animals, including cats, monkeys and pandas.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>Dessert: </strong>A local delicacy in Pingxi -- bowls of taro for dessert.
Dessert: A local delicacy in Pingxi -- bowls of taro for dessert.
Tourism and Travel Department, New Taipei City Government
<strong>Passionate about Pingxi:</strong> Wang Chaw-Jing, a local guide and former chairman of the Pingxi Commercial Association, stands in front of his own cafe in Pingxi.
Passionate about Pingxi: Wang Chaw-Jing, a local guide and former chairman of the Pingxi Commercial Association, stands in front of his own cafe in Pingxi.
Marian Liu/CNN
<strong>Six Door Tea:</strong> "I came back home to rejuvenate my body, to breathe the clean air and heal," says Yen, 54, who worked in China's computer industry before returning to Pingxi to convert his old family home into a tea shop, called Six Door Tea.
Six Door Tea: "I came back home to rejuvenate my body, to breathe the clean air and heal," says Yen, 54, who worked in China's computer industry before returning to Pingxi to convert his old family home into a tea shop, called Six Door Tea.
Marian Liu/CNN
<strong>LED lanterns at the Pingxi Police Station: </strong>There's also a digital lantern option. For less than $5, all you need to do is write or draw out your wish on a postcard. Then, staff blow up your image digitally on a LED lantern outside the local police station for all to see.
LED lanterns at the Pingxi Police Station: There's also a digital lantern option. For less than $5, all you need to do is write or draw out your wish on a postcard. Then, staff blow up your image digitally on a LED lantern outside the local police station for all to see.
Marian Liu/CNN