To strength the preservation value of cultural asset, extend historical memory, and provide citizens with the safer and more beautiful living environment, National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Ministry of Culture, conducts the staged “Interdisciplinary Value-adding Public Works Program.” Among them, the “Sanzhangli Branch,” the nostalgic railway expected by the public, has started to be open to the public from March 12 after the working team’s hard work for one year.
The railway “Sanzhangli Branch” across Chungshan Park of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was completed at the end of the 1930s. It connected Japanese Army’s Songshan Warehouse and Western Trunk Line. The branch was the “Taipei Railway Workshop Line” between Huashan and Songshan, diverging southward in front of the former Yanji Supermarket. The starting point with the Sanzhangli Operation Office was located around the crossing of Civic Boulevard and Yanji Street. It passed the existing linear parking space, the south side of Chungshan Park of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the front gate of Taipei City Council, and arrived at the former Combined Logistics Camp of Taipei City Government, with the total length of more than 2km. After World War II, it was reorganized into Combined Logistics 44 Arsenal. After the arsenal moved to Sanxia, the railway was abolished on July 21, 1986. In the past, standing on the steps of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, people could see the trains running by slowly, which left the deep impression on the nearby residents of the older generation.
To improve the park facilities and plaza pavement and provide the comprehensively friendly and wheelchair-accessible environment in the limited space, National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall launched the “Interdisciplinary Value-adding Program” and conducted it stage by stage. The first step is to renovate the landscape of Chungshan Park. The Sanzhangli Branch is the first result of the renovation presented in front of citizens. This landscape renovation is based on the principle of returning to the original design of Architect Wang Da-hong half century ago. To pass on the historical memory, the design builds the 5-meter-wide path with the exposed aggregate concrete floor and adopts the dark grey high-pressure tiles to define the old railway and original 106.7cm gauge and reconstruct the image of the Sanzhangli Branch. The Yixian Road Entrance and Guangfu S. Road Entrance on the two ends of the Sanzhangli Branch are also added for the nearby residents and tourists to enter the park freely. At the same time, the old white curbs on both sides were torn down, and the shrubs on both sides were cleaned up to build the beautiful and pleasant cherry-blossom avenue. The short benches with the back rest are also provided for citizens to take a rest.
Besides the Sanzhangli Branch, the landscape renovation also expands the area of tree shades and grassland and rebuilds and strengthens the plaza pavement to provide citizens with the comfortable and safe space. The Sanzhangli Branch emphasizes the return to the nostalgic and historical image and symbolizes Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s spirit of “fraternity” and “united world.” It is expected that the landscape renovation will increase the government’s service capacity to the public and enhance social harmony.