Discovery Series Ornament – Taoyuan

The Discovery Series Ornament Taoyuan is an especially interesting release because Taoyuan did not receive its own mug or ornament during either the You Are Here or Been There series. The city was previously featured in the older Relief series, however, so this is not actually Taoyuan’s first appearance in the Starbucks collectible lineup. Instead, it marks the city’s return after being absent from the two major series that followed Relief.

Another detail only became apparent to me while looking at this ornament: the inside of the cup does not carry the Starbucks brand name. Looking back at the other Discovery Series ornaments, this seems to follow a regional pattern. So far, the releases from Asia, except for Korea, appear to omit the Starbucks name inside the ornament, while the ones released across North, Central, and South America do include it. It is a very small detail, but an interesting variation in how the series is being produced for different markets.

Taoyuan is located in northwestern Taiwan and has developed from an agricultural area into one of the island’s major urban and transportation centers. Its name literally means “peach garden,” a reference to the peach trees that were once widely planted in the area. Taoyuan County was upgraded to a special municipality in 2014, incorporating both densely developed districts and extensive mountainous areas farther inland.

– Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is represented by the airplane and luggage, an obvious choice for a city that serves as Taiwan’s main international gateway. The airport opened in 1979 and handles the majority of the island’s international air traffic. Its presence has played an important role in Taoyuan’s rapid growth and close connection with travel and transportation.

– The luggage continues the travel theme and reflects the experience many international visitors have with Taoyuan. For travellers arriving in Taiwan by air, the city is often their first stop before continuing toward Taipei or other parts of the island.

– The lupines are closely associated with Longtan District in Taoyuan, where the flowers bloom across the tea-growing countryside each spring. Dabeikeng is known as the “Hometown of Lupine Flowers,” and the annual Taoyuan Lupinus Festival is usually held from late February into March, when golden lupines fill the hills and tea fields. The flowers are also strongly connected with local Hakka culture and agricultural traditions.

– The mountain forest in the back likely represents Lalashan, one of Taoyuan’s best-known natural areas. Lalashan is famous for its ancient giant trees, particularly enormous Taiwan red cypresses, some of which are hundreds or even thousands of years old. The surrounding mountains also offer hiking trails, cool forests, and dramatic scenery very different from Taoyuan’s urban districts.

– The people in winter clothes and snowflakes likely represent winter trips into Taoyuan’s mountainous interior. While snowfall is rare in the lower parts of the city, higher elevations around Lalashan can become cold enough for snow, sometimes covering the surrounding peaks overnight.

– The Red-Bellied Tree Squirrel is a common native squirrel found throughout Taiwan, including forested and mountainous areas around Taoyuan. Easily recognized by its reddish-brown belly and long bushy tail, it spends much of its time in trees feeding on fruits, seeds, and other plant material. Its appearance fits naturally with the forest scenery shown on the ornament.

– Finally, the mountain streams running through the forest represent the rivers and valleys of Taoyuan’s interior. The eastern part of the municipality contains steep mountains, forested valleys, waterfalls, and reservoirs, creating a landscape that contrasts sharply with the transportation and urban imagery shown on the other side of the ornament.