Mozi Dune Story Island Introduction
In the Taiping District of Taichung, there is an "island" known as "Mozaidun." This island is uniquely shaped by the diversion of the Tou Bian Keng Stream, creating one of the few cow-elk lake terrains in Taiwan. Due to its stone mill-like shape, locals refer to it as "Mozaidun." Thanks to the careful protection of the landowner, the original topography has been preserved. A few years ago, a visionary named "Mago" came to the island with the dream of creating a natural happy island. He rolled up his sleeves and began to construct the island's blueprint step by step with his own hands—crafting outdoor tables and chairs from driftwood, building pathways from stones by the stream, and making fences from reclaimed wood, all while laying down expansive green grass that eliminated the weeds and opened up the landscape. Maintaining the original earthen house while adding innovative touches, he built a two-story earthen house restaurant. The park features numerous tables and chairs crafted by Mago, providing spaces for relaxation. Moreover, Mago created a playground for children, saying that while the island allows for the fluttering of butterflies and the singing of birds, it lacked one essential element: the laughter of children. The wooden playground includes slides, swings, balance beams, sand piles, and rocking chairs, making it a place where children can love and enjoy. Thanks to Mago's dedication, Mozaidun Island has been revitalized into a vibrant happy island filled with energy and laughter. Covering over one hectare, Mozaidun Story Island is a unique venue for group gatherings and a family outdoor amusement park, complete with special garden landscapes, streamside scenery, interesting activities, rich ecology, hearty meal sets, a relaxed atmosphere, and a dreamland for many children featuring physical play zones, slides, swings, sand pits, rocking chairs, goats, and spacious lawns. Adults can accompany their young children while playing, creating a delightful parent-child interactive park. The area is safe and flat, allowing older children to play while parents enjoy a rare moment of leisure, sipping tea and chatting while appreciating the island's beauty. Mozaidun embraces the philosophy of "Nature, Ecology, Environmental Protection, Education." Designed and built by Mago himself, every element of Mozaidun reflects beauty and harmoniously integrates with the natural environment. Being here allows one to naturally release stress and absorb the beauty of being close to nature. Mozaidun uses natural construction methods to provide the best natural habitat for animals, ensuring no pesticides are used to maintain the integrity of the ecological chain and create a good habitat for flora and fauna. The construction on the island utilizes local materials and waste, such as using fresh or dried leaves from cinnamon trees for tea, allowing visitors to pick fresh longan during the harvest season, and using leftover branches as natural fuel for barbecues or clay ovens. This commitment underscores the philosophy of nature, ecology, and environmental protection, earning recognition from the agricultural association, leading to the establishment of the "Tou Bian Keng Natural Conservation Education Center" at Mozaidun Island. Activities on the island include traditional clay oven DIY, stone plate barbecues, guided tours, ecological film screenings, learning about plants and animals, ecological environment explanations, stream play, storytelling about the earthen house background, searching for antlion traces, team games on the lawn, physical challenges in the play area, feeding Taiwanese black goats, clay painting, and stone painting, among others. Groups of more than ten can reserve clay oven or stone plate barbecues. Unique to Mozaidun is its homemade stone plate barbecue, where food is cooked on stone slabs placed above an earth oven, using twigs as firewood. Cooking generates less ash, heats quickly, and prevents burnt food, allowing for a prompt and delicious meal featuring over ten varieties of fresh, specially made barbecue, providing the fun of cooking together as families. Guests can also experience the joy of building clay ovens together, making red egg pastries, roasting sweet potatoes, herbal whole chicken, and earth-cinnamon pork knuckles. The aroma of clay oven chicken, freshly roasted sweet potatoes, and red eggs fills the air, creating a delightful and engaging experience. In spring, the lychee flowers bloom, coinciding with the blooming of butterfly orchids that parasite on lychee trees, while from March to May, the larvae of butterflies and moths can be observed in the surroundings. From May to September, the clear waters of the Tou Bian Keng Stream provide plenty of interactive fun, and during June and July, a swarm of stag beetles and fluttering butterflies and dragonflies can be seen throughout the area. Visiting in June and July allows one to admire the sight of vibrant red lychee fruits, and in August, fresh organic longan can be harvested and tasted.
