Taiwan Folk Village

Taiwan Folk Village (台灣民俗村) was a unique amusement park in the hills of Baguashan (八卦山), a ridge running along the eastern margins of Changhua. It was designed to showcase traditional Taiwanese architecture and folk culture. Planning began in 1987 and after several years of construction it opened to the public in 1993. The park quickly became one of the top attractions for domestic tourism in Taiwan.

Date CapturedJune 4th, 2014 at 08:12 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] or AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-EDApertureƒ / 8Shutter Speed1/400 secFocal Length44.0 mmISO100Exposure Value14.6 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

The most prominent feature of the park was Qingfeng Gate (慶豐門), built to resemble the historic western gate of nearby Changhua City (彰化縣城西門). While this structure was a fabrication many other buildings on display in the park were originals transported from other parts of the country, often sparing them from the wrecking ball in the process¹. The most famous of these was Xinbeitou Railway Station (新北投車站), which was relocated back to Taipei in 2013 and eventually restored.

Date CapturedJune 4th, 2014 at 08:13 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED or AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II]Apertureƒ / 8Shutter Speed1/400 secFocal Length28.0 mmISO100Exposure Value14.6 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedJune 4th, 2014 at 08:13 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] or AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-EDApertureƒ / 8Shutter Speed1/320 secFocal Length200.0 mmISO100Exposure Value14.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

The park suffered a downturn in business after the devastating 921 Earthquake in 1999 and accumulated a great deal of debt. When founder Shi Jinshan (施金山) passed away in 2007 the park was auctioned off to a new owner by 2011. It closed to the public a year later.

Date CapturedFebruary 6th, 2017 at 06:54 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 9Shutter Speed1/320 secFocal Length55.0 mmISO400Exposure Value14.7 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedApril 9th, 2014 at 08:49 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED or AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II]Apertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/500 secFocal Length75.0 mmISO100Exposure Value13.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Xiaoyue Villa (嘯月山莊), a leisure hotel designed to emulate the style of traditional Taiwanese architecture on display in the park, continued to operate next door. The name was changed to Rihua Hotel (日華大飯店) at some point, almost certainly signifying a change in ownership, but without the draw of the park business declined and the hotel also closed by the end of the decade.

Date CapturedDecember 20th, 2014 at 07:29 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 14Shutter Speed1/800 secFocal Length40.0 mmISO400Exposure Value17.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Demolition crews started knocking down the park in 2020, setting off a media firestorm, as little effort was made to preserve the genuinely historic buildings still on site². Several structures were salvaged but many were completely destroyed. Eventually demolition work continued and by 2025 the area was almost completely cleared, including the hotel, and rezoned into Huilai Industrial Park (惠來產業園區).

Date CapturedApril 9th, 2014 at 08:47 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] or AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-EDApertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO125Exposure Value11.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

I attempted to visit the park on two occasions in the 2010s but never managed to find a way in without being turned away. As such, the photos shared here are of limited value, and I encourage anyone interested in the history of the park to search for other resources.

Footnotes

1. An inventory of heritage structures on display in the park that were not later destroyed: an earlier version of Beidou Dian-An Temple (北斗奠安宮); the first-generation Taichung Martial Arts Hall (台中武德殿), later repurposed as Jinfengshan Yuanlin Monastery (金鳳山員林寺); Chiayi Cai Family Historic House (嘉義蔡家古厝), also known as Liuyue Villa (留月山莊); Madou Lin Family Old House (麻豆林家古厝); Chiayi Liao Family Clinic (嘉義廖氏診所); and a steam engine (CT273蒸汽機車) that has since been relocated to the Changhua Roundhouse. ↩

2. Some of the historic buildings destroyed in 2020: Liuying Liu Family Mansion (柳營劉氏洋樓), the former residence of Liu Shenyue (劉神嶽宅); Lukang Shi Family Ancient House (鹿港施家古厝); Douliu Yitiaolong (斗六一條龍), the former residence of Cai Dekun (蔡得坤宅); Chiayi Yitiaolong (嘉義一條龍), the former residence of Shi Tingxian (施庭獻宅); and Changhua Sanheyuan (彰化三合院), the former residence of Lin Quanzhou (林泉州宅). ↩