Yangmei Story Park Introduction
Principal Zhang Fang-jie was entrusted by the local community of Yangmei to establish Yangmei Junior High School in the 37th year of the Republic of China. Collaborating with local gentlemen, he successfully founded the school through self-reliance and was appointed as its first principal. He later set up eight junior high school branches in the South Taoyuan area, laying the educational foundation for the region. In the early days of the school’s establishment, every day during the seventh period, all the teachers and students would manually transport stones from the Laokeng Stream to help build their campus, leaving behind a tangible imprint of their joint efforts and fostering deeper feelings among them, which became a shared memory among early alumni. The revitalization of the “Yangmei Story Park” not only allows alumni to revisit the spirit of self-reliance in building the school during the seventh period but also showcases the cultural atmosphere of the Hakka people and the spirit of education, making it worthwhile for tourists to deeply experience the unique local culture of Yangmei. The principal's dormitory, which was built in the early post-war period, features a style that blends Western and Japanese aesthetics, with a facade made of exposed aggregate and beautiful lines. The indoor space is approximately 50 ping and is equipped with a living room, study, master bedroom, children's study, and a common dormitory. Notably, the “student lodging dormitory” was offered by Principal Zhang to students who had difficulty with transportation or came from impoverished backgrounds, allowing them to study and dine with his family. During summer vacation, the dormitory served as the site for entrance examination preparation, adding historical significance to the space. Just across the street from the principal's dormitory, Xi Zhao Lun once served as the faculty dormitory of Yangmei Junior High School. Each household had one door and one window, totaling nine households. Currently, Xi Zhao Lun is used as a space for cultural and artistic exhibitions and multi-functional performances to promote the culture and arts of Yangmei and Hakka village.
