Zhudian Station Garden Introduction
Built in 1940, Zhutan Station is the only remaining wooden train station on the Fangliao Line of the Southern Link Line. It is an architectural structure in a Western style. As the operational volume gradually decreased, the Taiwan Railway Administration originally decided to demolish it. However, thanks to the active efforts of local residents and cultural figures, it was eventually preserved and, after renovation, was included in a cultural preservation area along with historical buildings in the vicinity, named "Zhutan Station Park." The facilities preserved at Zhutan Station Park include the wooden train station, wooden oil storage room, station building, waiting room, granary, rice mill, bathhouse, and ancient well, as well as the Li Hsiu-Yun Photography Memorial Hall, Ichijou Akira Doctor's Library, Zhutan Cultural Center, Dexing Rice Mill, and a spring ecological pond, along with the Train-themed Café, creating a rich rustic charm in the park. The Li Hsiu-Yun Photography Memorial Hall was originally an abandoned railway warehouse, which was renovated to become a photography-themed hall. It features long-term exhibitions of various themed old photographs and artifacts of photographer Li Hsiu-Yun, holding significant historical record importance. Ichijou Akira was a Japanese military doctor who provided free medical care to impoverished villagers, and in appreciation for his benevolence, the local residents established the Ichijou Akira Doctor's Library, which houses over 5,000 Japanese books across ten categories. Zhutan Cultural Center is also a former railway warehouse, renovated to create art classrooms and mainly serve as an exhibition hall for traditional farming tools and periodic art exhibitions, allowing visitors and locals to better understand the history of Zhutan. Built in 1942, Dexing Rice Mill is characterized by its wooden infrastructure for the rice milling pipeline. In earlier times, Zhutan was a rice distribution center, and thus rice mills were abundant, showcasing the agricultural prosperity of that time. The spring ecological pond is planted with beautiful lotus flowers and is home to various aquatic creatures such as frogs, turtles, small fish, and tadpoles, making it a suitable place for both children and adults to relax or observe small animal ecosystems. The Train-themed Café is converted from staff quarters, offering a variety of simple meals, coffee, and tea. Surrounding it are facilities such as a Japanese bathhouse, ancient well, station building, warehouse, and water tower, along with trains that occasionally rush by, making it the main recreational area of Zhutan Station Park. (Visitors are advised not to walk or linger on the railroad tracks.)
