Guangfu New Village Introduction
Wufeng's Guangfu New Village is the first new town in Taiwan, known for its strong military dependents' village atmosphere. It is a great location for wedding photography, with many films also shot here. In the past, Guangfu New Village served as the dormitories for the employees of the Provincial Government's Department of Education, Health Bureau, and a printing factory. The funding was provided by American aid, and Liu Yong-mao, the then Deputy Director of the Construction Department, traveled to the UK to study the latest "Garden City" design concept, integrating work and residential areas and designing living spaces with low population density and a high ratio of green spaces. At its peak, the village housed over four hundred households, featuring well-equipped public facilities including schools, parks, and markets, all in a serene environment with tidy streets. The village also boasts Taiwan's first sewer system with separated rainwater and sewage, holding a unique significance in the history of urban architecture in Taiwan. Three years after the 921 earthquake, residents once again recognized the value of repurposing the idle dormitories for public use. They hoped to transform Guangfu New Village through a community life museum, introducing cultural creativity from artists to escape the fate of being labeled merely as "provincial dormitories" and to complement the Earthquake Museum. However, the post-remediation "Guangfu New Village" fell under the management of various central government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Department of Health, and the Ministry of Education, complicating both management and reuse efforts. Additionally, residents faced legal restrictions that prevented them from making changes to their living environment, further deteriorating their living conditions. Today, Guangfu New Village has undergone community revitalization, breathing new life into its original concept. It has transformed into a creative arts village, formed by a small collective of 70 idealistic shop owners, where visitors can find various installations and creative shops throughout its streets and alleyways, inviting everyone to explore the footprints of time once again.
