Checheng Visitor Center Introduction
Background► Checheng Elementary School was established in 1957 and relocated to its current site in May 1987 in conjunction with the Ming Tan Hydroelectric Plant. Affected by the recent decline in birth rates, Checheng Elementary, with nearly 60 years of history, went through consolidation and was officially closed in August 2015.► To reactivate the idle campus after the closure of Checheng Elementary, the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration contacted the Nantou County Government to handle the paid allocation of the school land. From June 2017 to September 2018, the handover process was completed, and the overall planning of the campus was conducted with the theme of a railway tourism elementary school, which officially opened on September 18, 2019. Design Description► The original auditorium "Xuehai Hall" was converted into a visitor center and management office for Checheng, providing tourism consultation services for visitors, as well as facilities such as a nursing room, Muslim prayer room, and public restrooms.► In collaboration with the Taiwan Railways Administration, old locomotives (R100 type-R114) and old passenger carriages (35SPK32700 type) were moved to the park for display.► Installations symbolizing the railway tourism elementary school and the southern entrance corridor of Checheng introduce train imagery, becoming a new popular photo spot in the area.► The original school command platform and gate, representative buildings, are preserved as waiting areas and the welcoming entrance.► The former playground space has been repurposed into pedestrian walkways, a temporary parking area for cars, a turnaround for buses, and a loading area for passengers, alleviating the limited road space in the Checheng recreation area. Achievement Benefits► The idle campus space of the closed Checheng Elementary School has been revitalized as a railway tourism elementary school, transforming the former educational grounds into a new tourist attraction.► By integrating railway facilities such as the Checheng recreation area station, signal tower, transport vehicles, tracks, and switches, the “railway tourism” theme of the Checheng recreation area has been strengthened. The government leads efforts in preserving railway cultural assets and promoting tourism development, stimulating private investment and creativity, contributing to the revival of the Checheng community.► In the future, the administration will continue to cooperate with relevant units such as the Taiwan Railways Administration to promote railway tourism and low-carbon travel, merging tourism themes such as Checheng's forestry history, JiJi Line railway tourism, and bicycle low-carbon travel to present a diversified recreational style.
