“Yuanshan Natural Landscape Park,” which is built on the site of former Taipei Children’s Amusement Park (兒童樂園), is open to the public on June 15.
The park preserves the ferris wheel and merry-go-round to remind visitors of the merriment the park had provided their young customers.
The amusement park was built at Yuanshan in 1934 during Japanese rule. It had an area of only three hectares when it was first opened and was Taiwan’s earliest public children’s park. The park is a fond memory for many Taipei citizens.
Taipei Children’s Amusement Park was later enlarged to cover an area of 9.8 hectares, and its name was changed to Taipei Children’s Recreation Center (臺北市立兒童育樂中心). After 80 years of service, Taipei Children’s Recreation Center was relocated to Shilin District.
Lai Cheng-fu (賴丞賦), chief of the Yuanshan park administration office at Taipei’s Parks and Street Lights Office, said there are many old houses in Yuanshan Natural Landscape Park that were built in the architectural style of traditional mansions for rich families in the early years of the Republic of China. These beautiful houses have rich educational value and are also ideal for photo taking, he added.
The grassland area is open year-round, 24 hours per day, while the area on the hill is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
The park can be easily accessed by taking Taipei MRT. Disembark at the MRT Yuanshan Station and walk for five minutes to reach the park.
Source Taiwan News
