Taichung Folk Park

The Taichung Folk Park in Taichung City was officially opened in 1990. It was constructed by the Taichung City Council to enable the general public to understand more about the life styles of their ancestors, so that the younger generation can pay tribute to their historical and cultural heritage.

The Taichung Folk park is the first folk park built in Taiwan. The park occupies a total area of 1.6 hectare. It displays the folk heritage of the people living in China's coastal Fujian area in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The main features of the Taichung Folk Park are the Folklore Hall, the Folklore and Cultural Heritage Hall, and the Folk Arts Hall. These are further enhanced by the Folk Arts Square and the Folklore Square.

The Folklore Hall was built in the southern Fujianese style of a traditional "U-shaped compound". In the middle room are exhibitions of traditional Chinese furniture, calligraphy, paintings and items for ancestor worshipping. On the two sides of the compound are bedrooms and restrooms. The study is at the east wing, while the west wing is the dwelling place of the younger generations and their families. The kitchen displays items that demonstrate the different phases of daily farming life.

The plaza of the Folklore Hall is used for various cultural and folk performances. Artists-in-residence often give displays of dough figure-making, paper-cutting, bamboo weaving and other traditional handcraft skills. On festivals and holidays, the park comes alive with Chinese acrobatic displays, dragon and lion dances, top-spinning and other activities. The basement of the Folklore Hall displays traditional Taiwanese farming tools, daily utensils and the costumes of the island's different aboriginal tribes.

In the Folk Arts Hall, celebration activities are held during Taiwan's many folk festivals. Conferences, tutorials, seminars and performances on local arts also take place here. Meanwhile, in the garden are seasonal flowers and lotus ponds. Many traditional Chinese-styled pavilions, steps, huts and houses have been built around the garden.