Zhudian Station Garden Introduction
Built in 1940, the Zhuqian Station is the only remaining wooden train station on the South-Link Line of the Taiwan Railways. It is a building designed in a Western style. As the operational volume gradually declined, Taiwan Railways originally decided to demolish it. However, thanks to the active efforts of local residents and cultural figures, it was finally preserved. After renovation, it was included in the surrounding historical buildings and designated as a cultural preservation area named "Zhuqian Station Park." The facilities preserved in the Zhuqian Station Park include the wooden train station, a wooden oil storage room, the station building, waiting room, granary, rice mill, bathhouse, and ancient well. It also houses the Mr. Li Xiuyun Photography Memorial Museum, Dr. Iizumi Ichiro Library, Zhuqian Cultural Center, Dexing Rice Mill, Yongquan Ecological Pool, and a train-themed café, exuding a strong sense of rustic beauty. The Mr. Li Xiuyun Photography Memorial Museum was originally an abandoned railway warehouse, which was renovated into a photography-themed museum. It features long-term exhibitions of various old photographs and artifacts from photographer Li Xiuyun, preserving historical records. Dr. Iizumi Ichiro was a Japanese military doctor who provided free consultations to impoverished villagers. Grateful for his compassionate medical care, local residents established the Dr. Iizumi Ichiro Library in his name, which houses over 5,000 books across ten categories, all in Japanese. The Zhuqian Cultural Center, also a former railway warehouse, was renovated to include art classrooms and primarily serves as an exhibition space for traditional farming tools and periodic art displays, allowing tourists and locals to better understand the history of Zhuqian. The Dexing Rice Mill, built in 1942, is characterized by its wooden infrastructure, including rice milling pipelines. Zhuqian was once a rice distribution center, evident from the proliferation of rice mills at that time. The Yongquan Ecological Pool is planted with beautiful lotus flowers and is home to a variety of aquatic animals such as frogs, turtles, small fish, and tadpoles, making it an ideal place for children and adults to relax or observe the tiny animal ecology. The train-themed café, converted from staff quarters, serves a variety of light meals, coffee, and tea. The surrounding area features a Japanese bathhouse, ancient well, station building, warehouse, water tower, and the occasional passing trains, making it the main recreational area of Zhuqian Station Park. (Visitors are advised not to walk or linger on the tracks.)
