Checheng Visitor Center Introduction
Background: Checheng Elementary School was established in 1957 and moved to its current location in May 1987 alongside the Ming-Tan Hydroelectric Power Plant. Due to the recent impact of low birth rates, the 60-year-old Checheng Elementary School underwent consolidation and shutdown, officially entering history in August 2015. To revitalize the idle campus after the school's closure, the Sun Moon Lake Management Office negotiated with the Nantou County government to repurpose the school land for a fee. The transfer process was completed from June 2017 to September 2018, and the area was planned around the theme of a railway tourism elementary school, officially opening on September 18, 2019. Design Description: The original auditorium "Xuehai Hall" was transformed into a visitor center and management office for Checheng, providing tourism consultation services, as well as facilities such as a nursing room, a Muslim prayer room, and public restrooms. Collaborating with the Taiwan Railway Administration, old locomotives (R100-R114) and old passenger carriages (35SPK32700) were relocated to the park for display. The design of the railway tourism elementary school and the introduction of a train motif at the southern entrance corridor of Checheng have become new photo hotspots in the area. The original school’s platform and main gate were preserved as waiting areas and an entrance. The original playground space has been repurposed as pedestrian walkways, a temporary parking area for small vehicles, a turning area for large buses, and a temporary passenger loading area, alleviating issues related to the limited road space within the Checheng recreation area. Outcomes: The idle campus space of the closed Checheng Elementary School has been revitalized as a railway tourism elementary school, transforming the former educational site into a new emerging tourist attraction. Combined with railway facilities such as the Checheng recreation area's station, signal tower, freight car, tracks, and switches, the theme of "railway tourism" is strengthened. The government takes the lead in preserving railway cultural assets and promoting tourism development, encouraging private investment and creativity, contributing to the revival of the Checheng community. In the future, the management office and relevant units, such as the Taiwan Railway Administration, will continue to collaborate in promoting railway tourism and low-carbon travel, integrating themes such as the forestry history of Checheng, the Jiji line railway tourism, and low-carbon cycling to present a diverse recreational style.
