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, after the hard work of Chungshan Park landscape renovation team for one year, the “Central Plaza” is open to the public in the afternoon today (April 29) after the nostalgic railway, “Sanzhangli Branch,” started to be open to the public on March 12.
Located in the East District of Taipei City, National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, including the main building and Chungshan Park (the greenfield site of “Park 6”), covers a total area of 11 hectares. At first the park was under the jurisdiction of the Park and Street Light Office of Taipei City Government. Then its maintenance and management were transferred to National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in 1985. In the design concept of Architect Wang Da-hong, there is a large reflective pool on the central plaza, and the double avenue on its sides extends to Renai Road. However, in the design of the then New Construction Office of Taipei City Government, the European garden, flag-raising platform, fountain, and main building fell on the same axis, with the trees and plants arranged symmetrically. In the past fifty years, the large charity, art, and cultural events were often held on the plaza. It is also the best place for the nearby residents to exercise and for families to spend holidays.
Besides returning to the original design of Architect Wang Da-hong, the renovation also hopes to improve the park facilities and plaza pavement and provide the comprehensively friendly and wheelchair-accessible environment in the limited space. Therefore, National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall started to launch the “Interdisciplinary Value-adding Program” from 2016 and has conducted it stage by stage in order to minimize the inconvenience caused to the public. At the same time, the program reconstructs the central landscape visual focus of the park to deepen the memorial meaning and provides the friendly and comfortable environment for all people through the image of tall trees, green land, and yellow tiles.
Another highlight of the renovation is the expanded area of tree shades and lawns and the reinforcement of the plaza pavement. To reconstruct the central landscape visual focus of the park, the original garden is renovated into a 40-meter-wide central plaza with 82 newly-planted camphor trees and ring-cupped oak trees on both sides. The double rows of trees define the plaza space and the tree shade trail and provides citizens with the cool and comfortable walking environment in summer. The 20-meter-wide lawns on both sides increase the green coverage of the park to 83 percent and improve the discomfort caused by the summer heat on the plaza. Besides, for the design of universal use, the long weathering caused the aggregate exposure of the original concrete pavement and uneven roads. The plaza pavement after renovation is both anti-skid and flat for better safety. More benches are set up along the tree shade trail for citizens to take a rest. The benches are withdrawn to the lawns, and there is also the space for wheelchairs so that the visitors’ stay won’t block the trail.
National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is established in memory of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. This year is the 50th anniversary. Besides the deep memorial meaning, it is also a multifunctional place for outdoor exercise and leisure, art, and cultural activities. The landscape renovation of Chungshan Park will not only create the citizens’ new link with the memory, experience, environment, and life space of Chungshan Park but also provide a comfortable and safe space after completion.