Lexin Wadan Memorial Park Introduction
Lèxìn Wǎdàn Memorial Park, located alongside Roma Highway, features a nostalgic photo wall at the entrance that chronicles the achievements of Lèxìn Wǎdàn. As you enter the park and climb the wooden observation platform, you can enjoy the surrounding beautiful scenery, with a bright blue sky dotted with a few white clouds. In spring, the cherry blossoms along the road bloom in full, and during the season of millet harvest, a vast field of golden millet sways in the breeze, creating a stunning contrast against the blue sky. However, behind this beautiful park lies a sorrowful story. Lèxìn Wǎdàn was a leader of the Atayal people and one of the first Atayal individuals to receive modern medical education, graduating from the predecessor of National Taiwan University College of Medicine—the Taiwan Governor-General's Medical School. He was employed as a public physician by the Taiwan Governor-General's Office, practicing medicine in Atayal tribes under the name of Dr. Saburo Dōuchi, advocating for medical concepts, and serving as a buffer between the Japanese and the Atayal people. After Taiwan's recovery, Lèxìn Wǎdàn changed his name to Lin Ruichang and was elected as a member of the first Taiwan Provincial Temporary Assembly, actively fighting for the rights of his people, but he became a political victim during the White Terror period. Consequently, his descendants built this park to commemorate this great Atayal leader.
