An Imagination Run Wild
This is not a typical tourist spot. Created by retired war veteran Huang Yung fu, Caihongjuan village features a street embossed with Huang’s imagination and style. Visitors come from across Taiwan to see this short-lived creation and it’s certainly worth visiting if you time in Taichung. Even on a weekday this short stretch of childhood creativity gets pretty busy. Huang Yungfu is now 94, but still resides adjacent to the street to chat and pose with his guests.
A Unique Form of Protest
In the late 1940s when the Chinese Nationalist party came to Taiwan, the new government needed to house two million immigrants. Temporary military villages were set up for the soldiers, but Huang Yung fu never left. In the 1990s the government decided to demolish many of the then abandoned houses. To save his home, Huang began painting the walls, gates, and eventually the adjacent road and buildings. Students at a nearby university recorded his progress, and his work quickly became a local treasure thus preserving his home.
A Worthwhile Visit
A visit to the Rainbow ‘village’ is well worthwhile especially considering its creator is still hard at work. At almost a century old, the owner is still going strong, so if you do visit, consider making a donation to Grandpa Huang and his retirement fund at Rainbow Village.
Details
No.56 Chun’an Road, Nantun District, Taichung, Taiwan
台灣台中市南屯區春安路56巷
Open: All Day (However ‘Rainbow Grandpa’ is typically around during daytime hours only)
(Entry FREE)
Getting There
By Bus:
There are several ways to reach Rainbow village. Perhaps the simplest is from simplest is from behind SOGO department store. Take bus route 300 (former BRT line that runs on dedicated bus lanes up Taiwan Boulevard) to SOGO department store. Walk down Minquan road to Renyou Parking lot or “Guang San SOGO” bus stop. From there take bus no. 72 all the way to Lingdong university. The bus will drop you on Yongchun South Road. Walk back along the road to an intersection with a Family Mart convenience store. Head up Lingdong road across from the store about 600m to Rainbow village. You will see a sign directing you from the road on your right.
References
Photo Credits
Cover Photo by Steven R. Barringer – http://www.streetartutopia.com/?p=4209, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link