The route of getting there is very simple: ride on Chungkang Rd. and go straight to the end and you can see the Taichung Railway Station there.
Taichung Railroad Station has been seen as a one of the most important spots in Taichung City, and it has also witnessed the growth and the development of Taichung City since the period of Japanese colonization. Greatly thanks to the communication and transportation facilities the station has provided, Taichung City has grown and thrived so quickly for the several decades.
Taichung Railroad Station has been there for over a century, and millions of people dropped by the old train station. From here, some people left for a better life in other cities; some others took it some part of their journey of life; others came bake to lead a peaceful life with their family.
We often saw that some plots in novels or in soap dramas happend in the train station: Young children wanted to pursue some better opportunities of working and learning, so they had to leave the homeland where they born and grew. On the platform, parents repeatedly told their children to take care of themselves and the children would burst into tears after the train left the station. They could only expect some day they were able to return here again in glory.
Foe whoever comes to the train station,it can be a starting point as well as a terminal spot. With the growth of the highway and the high-speed railroad, the importance of Taihung Railroad Station has not been so critical as it used to be. However, the plots of leaving, the scenery outside the window of the train, and the lunch box sold only on the train. All of them are the mutual memory for people across various generatioms. If we compare the train station to a old men, in the time of over one-hundred years, he has witnessed thousands of meeting and parting. In the long period of memory, there is a special story in every fragment of his memory, which will not fade away with the endless passing time.
Not very far to the train station, there is a Taichung Park which has the same age as the train station. There is a huge and wide lake in the park, and there is a pavilion in the lake, called "Pavilion in the Lake", which has a symbolic historical value to Taichung.
October, 24th, 1908, the critical lifeline of Taiwan's economy, the "Mainline Railway" started its function, the authority of Governor-General of Taiwan hold the ceremony in Pavilion in the Lake. Prince Kan'in Kotohito hold the ceremony in person and made the pavilion as a memorial. Pavilion was reparied for several times and become the situation it is today.
When I was in senior high school, some classmates, I liked to fool around in the train station and the park is the place I dropped by every time. Now I often passed by there on Saturday afternoon. I can see mant senoir citizens playing chesses under the shadow of the tree, litte boy playing ball games on the grass, little girls riding bicycles on the boulevard, parents playing with their children in the playing ground, and couples rowing the boat in the lake. Moreover, sometimes there maybe is some bands performing there and passersby can see them for free. All of there are the daily sights in the Taichung Park. I think I am attracted by the place not because its scenery but the place has witnessed the mutual memory of thousands of people.
I like the part that you tell readers what you think about the plot and station. It will make people want to visit the place. I feel touched when I read the part. After reading your blog, I want to go to the park and lake to enjoy my leisure time.
回覆刪除Thanks for your detailed descriptions of the station and the park! To be honest, I almost pass by the railway station every week, but I never try to understand it. After reading your blog, I feel so amazed at the history behind the station. Maybe I can keep my blog more detailed like you did to yours.
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