Matsu Village Cultural and Creative Park Introduction
Matsu New Village, known as "Taoyuan Jiangjun Village," is not named after the residents' origin from Matsu, but rather derives its name from an event when President Chiang Kai-shek's wife, Soong Mei-ling, led a military assistance group to Matsu for morale-boosting visits. To meet the needs of military personnel stationed on the front lines and their families, she proposed the establishment of the current Matsu New Village. The first batch of military dependents' housing was completed in 1957, allocated to officers below the rank of brigadier general of the 84th Army Division, and it became the first military dependents' village in Longgang. The number of households expanded from the initially planned seventy-six to about two hundred twenty-six, featuring a checkerboard road layout and fishbone-style housing arrangement, creating a unique living environment. Over time, public facilities such as activity centers, auditoriums, community parks, lawns, sports fields, and pavilions were added, forming a self-sufficient, semi-closed military dependents' settlement. In 1998, it was recognized as a model community nationwide, providing significant encouragement to the entire village. Although Taoyuan is not the region with the most military dependents' villages in the country, it plays a vital role in preserving military dependents' village culture. The formation of these villages has been crucial in historical transitions, representing an irreplaceable cultural and lifestyle feature, from the architecture of the settlements to the local cultural practices. As residents gradually moved to the renovated Luguang No. 5 Village, the Taoyuan City Government's Cultural Bureau began to promote the preservation of military dependents' villages. Matsu New Village became the second military dependents' village in the country to be preserved under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, following Taipei's Sisi Nan Village, and was registered as a historic building in 2004, giving it the identity of a cultural asset. It was later designated by the Ministry of National Defense as one of thirteen cultural preservation parks for military dependents' villages in Taiwan, being the first in Zhongli City to preserve military dependents' culture through cultural asset preservation. Compared to other military dependents' villages in Taoyuan, Matsu New Village has taken a "museum-like" approach to restart its development, focusing on preserving and revitalizing military dependents' culture and promoting cultural and creative film projects. It established the Matsu New Village Cultural and Creative Base, hosting events such as film festivals and military dependents' culture festivals. Furthermore, the activity center has been remodeled into the "Taoyuan Light and Shadow Cinema," a standard Dolby sound cinema accommodating 76 viewers. Notably, the original grand auditorium has been preserved as a screening space, showcasing classic Taiwanese films and movie artifacts, activating the preservation of the military dependents' village. To revitalize the previously forgotten military dependents' village, Matsu New Village will host regular cultural and creative markets, inviting artists to reside and allowing visitors to walk into the historical old houses. Through the black tiles, brick walls, and the red-and-white striped doors, guests can connect with childhood memories, reminiscent of neighboring families and friends within the village, recreating the nostalgic warmth of life in a military dependents' village.
