Mr. Lian-fa Lin believes that parks serve functions in safety, entertainment, ecosystem protection, education and aesthetics. In fact, the number of parks is a key indicator to the quality of urban environments around the world. However, Chungchuan Neighborhood and neighboring communities had no parks of their own. He wished to offer a place where people can relax, work out and enjoy themselves. This would greatly enhance the living quality of the community residents.
A survey on the community resources found an idle piece of land equivalent to 1,023 pings. Messy and wasted, it was an eye sore to the community and a hiding place for garbage. Wouldn’t it be great if this land could be utilized to benefit everybody? Mr. Lin reached out the landowners and intended to ask for the permission to utilize these idle spaces. However, only two of the four landowners still lived in Chungchuan Neighborhood. One of them was in Taipei and the other one had relocated to the US. It was not easy to convince all of them. After rounds of attempts, Mr. Lin finally persuaded all of them to forgo any compensation for the community to build a park here.
The park broke ground in November 2007 and was completed in April 2011. The construction took four years. With persistence and perseverance, Mr. Lin transformed the waste land where weeds grew into a beautiful community park. He created a miracle by overcoming difficulties in funding, resources and manpower.
Excavators toiled away day and night, pushing for an early completion.
Mr. Lin worked with volunteer workers on land preparation.
Hands-on and down-to-earth, Mr. Lin saw the park gradually take shape despite a lack of resources.
Mr. Lin and volunteer workers laid turf to create a lawn.
Blue skies, green grass, a beautiful park!
Regular fertilization and pest control help the flowers and trees to prosper in the park.
Pruning is Mr. Lin’s job.
The park is a popular venue for the grey-haired to chill out and work out.
A good park needs a big old tree. A coral tree.
The 130-year-old coral tree is the centerpiece of the park.
The construction was completed after four years. Mr. Lin hosted the opening ceremony on a sunny day. Chungchuan Community Park has become the best place for residents to hang out and have fun.
Activities in Park: Chungchuan Community Park is a busy place. In the early mornings, some residents talk a talk and work out here. Yuan-Ji Dance starts at 6 am every day. Activities such as stretching exercise and line dance are scheduled in the evening. Many locals still hang around here at night to use exercise equipment and chat with friends. Children love to play on the slides, swings and kiddie rides, or play with the sands in the bunkers. Youngsters compete at the basketball court. There are people in the park all the time.
The park is the best venue for holiday festivals. This is where the flea market and garden parties happen. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are celebrated here. Basketball competitions and still life painting can be seen here too.
Chungchuan Neighborhood has become a more beautiful place because of the community park. Locals have become healthier and closer to each other because of the park. It has become the best part of Chungchuan Neighborhood, all thanks to Mr. Lin!
People come to stretch themselves in the park on weekdays and holidays.
We couldn’t help ourselves at the sight of amusement park equipment.
Teenagers make friends and play basketball in the park.
Visitors can take a break sitting at the marble table.
Inspiration: The building of the park took nearly four years, an elongated period and a tedious process. At the beginning, Mr. Lin had to resolve the land issues. It took rounds of conversations before the landowners finally agreed to allow the community to use the land for free. There was no sufficient monetary support so Mr. Lin removed the wastes and prepared the land with his hands. His enthusiasm became an inspiration and locals joined the bandwagon. Volunteer workers constructed the park whilst Mr. Lin was still fighting for budgets. The establishment of the park was like piecing together puzzles. One corner was completed after another, depending on the resources available. It was a prolonged project that required patience and determination.
At the outset of the park construction, an old man said to Mr. Lin, “Don’t be silly. How can you build a park here? Impossible!” Mr. Lin would reply with a smile but continue laying the turf and the pavement. The park was being built inch by inch. All the flowers and trees were planted under his stewardship. The joy experienced by residents in this park is Mr. Lin’s greatest reward.
Mr. Lin goes to the park and greets local people every day. One day he bumped into the old man who called him silly. This time, the old man smiled and told him, “It is nice to have this park.” Mr. Lin said, “That was the best encouragement ever.”
Chungchuan Neighborhood had nothing. There was no activity centre, no green spaces, and no resources. However, Mr. Lin instilled vitality and strength to this community. The transformation enhances the quality of life and the health of local population.
Mr. Lin completed the construction of the community park with enthusiasm and perseverance to service the locals. He is our role model for altruism and dedication.
Project team members interviewed community residents.
This stone stele was erected in 2011 upon the completion of Chungchuan Community Park.
All the trees were still small. There was not even a hiding place in the case of sudden rain. A pavilion was built with the efforts from Mr. Lin, who gave it a humorous name, “Pavilion Waiting for Rain”.
At the sight of exercise equipment, we couldn’t help ourselves and really wanted to have a good stretch.
These floor bricks were leftover building materials for the renovation of a local elementary school. Mr. Lin asked the headmaster for these bricks and pieced them into the pavement before finishing them with painting.
Construction companies produce concrete pillars for inspection after grouting. These pillars render useless upon the completion of inspections. Mr. Lin converted concrete pillars into the barricade of the park, to avoid bikes or motorcycles from getting in.
Colourful Walls A stroll at Chungchuan Neighborhood reveals the unique charm of this community. Beautiful wall paintings can been found at every corner.
Mr. Lian-fa Lin explained to us, “I wanted to create a fairy tale for local children. Even adults can preserve their children dream. This was why I thought it would be a good idea to add beautiful paintings on unexciting walls.”
Some locals were against this idea at the beginning. However, most of the community residents were happy to work with it. It was yet another challenge that Mr. Lin took on. After obtaining approval from the occupants involved, he led the volunteer workers and supporters to work with artists to create a colorful dream world on the community walls.
These lovely paintings make Chungchuan Neighborhood a wonderland full of joy and amazement, lightening the hearts of everybody who pass by.
The cheerful smile of the student who plays the vibraphone.
The welcoming words on beautiful wall paintings are an expression of the local hospitality in Chungchuan Neighborhood.
The logos of Chungchuan Neighborhood: Hsiao-chung on the left and Hsiao-chuan on the right. The mascot of Chungchuan Neighborhood is a dog. According to Mr. Lin, “Chungchuan” sounds like “a loyal god” in Mandarin. Dogs are our best friends so we have a dog to protect our home.” This was the design principle of Hsiao-chung and Hsiao-chuan.
This is the visitor map of Chungchuan Neighborhood. Let Ten Beauty Team be your tour guide and take you to the fairy tale world of Chungchuan Neighborhood!
These wall paintings at Beiji Temple in Chungchuan Neighborhood tell the story from history and mythology.
This wall painting at Beiji Temple is about Guan Gong, a historical figure and an epitome of justice.
A stroll along the long and winding walls feels like a holiday walk on the beach!
Rainbow Community What a pleasant experience to wander around in Chungchuan Neighborhood!
The camera in hands capture the colorful sights on the streets. Chungchuan Neighborhood is distinctly different from other communities. These beautiful paintings on the walls instill vitality into the neighborhood and cheer up everybody along the way. We enjoyed ourselves exploring every corner at Chungchuan Neighborhood and finished our visit with laughter and conversations. We couldn’t have enough of everything in this community and wished we could have continued our journey in this lovely place.
The happy look of the little girl in the painting makes me heart sing. I join her chase of the butterflies on the plain, as if I were also walking on the grass. The pressure of schoolwork vanished with this carefree feeling.
The big smiles of the children depicted in the painting seem to tell us how much they love it here in Chungchuan Neighborhood!
Blue skies. White clouds. Green grass. Wild flowers. Two innocent children are smiling. This is a picture of tranquil and happiness. Imagination knows no boundary. It took the Wright Brothers countless attempts to invent the first airplane in the world, but it is just a thought away for the two children to take on wings.
How wonderful it is to enjoy the cool sea water on a hot summer day… Lying on a comfy beach chair and taking a nap with a parasol shielding away the burning sunlight. Even better with a glass of chilled coconut juice. There is no need to travel far and wide to catch the waves. Just come to Chungchuan Neighborhood. A large painting of the beach scenery will cool off the summer heat.
Tired from the long walk? Have a slice of watermelon to quench your thirst. Juicy and sweet, watermelons are the most popular fruit in summer. See how much the children are enjoying it.
The small lanes and alleys surrounding the Activity Center of Chungchuan Neighborhood are home to many interesting wall paintings. This vibrant picture of the seas depicts how the sunlight guides the way to the bright future.
Even circuit boxes on the roadside are colored and painted in Chungchuan Neighborhood. On the circuit box at the far left is Hsiao-chung, the logo of Chungchuan Neighborhood. A careful observation will find cute paintings everywhere in this community. Life is full of beauty but the beauty needs to be appreciated. We see beauty everywhere in Chungchuan Neighborhood.
Satisfaction Levels The lovely wall paintings give a fairy tale feel to Chungchuan Neighborhood. We really envy the local residents, who can enjoy such a beautiful environment created by Mr. Lin. He obtained the written consent from one household to another before anybody could take up a colour brush to the walls. These lively pictures do not only win support from most of the locals but also admiration from visitors.