Jiqing Community - Christmas Lane Introduction
Jiqing Community's "Christmas Alley" originated from the "San'ai Church", when Pastor Lin Gongzhao moved the Christmas tree from inside the church to the outdoors on Christmas Eve in 1999. The congregants in the alley followed suit by decorating their doorsteps with Christmas lights and sharing the good news with neighbors. The joyful atmosphere of the festival gradually attracted more residents to join over the years. With the efforts of Jiqing Community's village chief Huang Shengzong, carpenter Mr. Wen Yongyan, Associate Professor Pan Tongtai from Taipei University of Technology, and pastors Lin Gongzhao and Hou Shuliang from San'ai Church, the scale of "Christmas Alley" has grown larger and its reputation has spread far and wide. Nowadays, it has become a customary festive activity for every household in the alley to set up Christmas decorations around Christmas time. Each December, the residents spontaneously start decorating their doorways, often designing and creating new looks or installations months in advance. The residents have an unspoken agreement to light the decorations from the week before Christmas until Lantern Festival of the following year. The decorations in "Christmas Alley" are organized by household, accompanied by different themed installations, such as Ji-Qing High-Speed Rail, cable cars, helicopters, and a giant rubber duck. Each household's windowsills and yards are creatively designed by the residents. In 2014, Jiqing Community's "Christmas Alley" was even voted by online users as one of the "Top Ten Romantic Christmas Attractions" in the country.
