Little Story Forest in Liuying Introduction
Li Xiao Story Forest Fan Page Please link Read Little Teahouse Fan Page Please link Zhongli Elementary School Japanese Dormitory is located next to Zhongli Elementary School, built in 1917. It used to be the dormitory for staff of Zhongli Public School, and after the government relocated to Taiwan, it continued to serve as a dormitory for teachers at Zhongli Elementary School. In 2015, it was announced as a registered historical building. The Zhongli Elementary School Japanese Dormitory consists of three buildings: one double-unit Japanese dormitory, one single-unit Japanese dormitory, and one continuous brick building. This dormitory witnesses the modern educational enlightenment in the Zhongli area and has research value regarding the architectural techniques of the Japanese colonial period. The park is conveniently located in the city center of Zhongli, witnessing the development context of the old street area from the Japanese occupation to the present, rich in historical significance and value. The dormitory complex retains precious old trees with lush greenery and features an outdoor second-floor observation deck that overlooks the entire area, allowing visitors to appreciate the characteristics of Japanese black tiles and Taiwanese red tiles. The Zhongli Elementary School Japanese Dormitory was announced as a registered historical building in 2015, with research, restoration, and reuse planning completed in 2016. Renovation and reuse work began in July 2017 and was completed in August 2018. Generally, the life cycle of cultural asset restoration and reuse is five years; however, the Zhongli Elementary School Japanese Dormitory took less than four years from property allocation to the completion of restoration and management commissioning. While the Cultural Bureau commissioned a private team for operation, it also collaborated with the administrative team of Zhongli Elementary School, environmental education professionals, and a professional curatorial team to launch the new educational exhibition of Zhongli Elementary School and a special exhibition on the restoration characteristics of the Japanese dormitory upon opening. It integrated local curriculum and environmental education learning plans, implementing parent-child reading, storytelling, listening to stories, and food education experiences in the facility. The Zhongli Elementary School Japanese Dormitory has been designated by popular vote as Li Xiao Story Forest, positioned as a parent-child educational space. It is currently operated by the Taoyuan City Zhen Shan Mei Social Welfare Foundation, providing functions for reading, storytelling, lectures, and food education, becoming a comfortable and safe environment for parent-child interaction and diverse learning, collecting memories of ordinary life, old photographs, oral history, and interesting anecdotes from Zhongli residents. (Source of image and text: Cultural Bureau of the City Government)
