Groundbreaking Ceremony for Hakka Cultural Park: Hualien County Government Continues to Promote Traditional Hakka Cultural Inheritance

(中央社訊息服務20240330 09:00:00)

To optimize the Hakka cultural landscape in Hualien, the Hualien County Government held a groundbreaking blessing ceremony on March 26 for the Hualien County Hakka Cultural Park Construction Project. Hualien County Mayor Hsu Chen-Wei attended as the main officiator, praying for the smooth and safe completion of this project. It is hoped that after the construction of the Hakka Cultural Park is completed, it will integrate with the surrounding environment, utilize innovative facilities, combine traditional Hakka imagery, pass down Hakka traditional culture from generation to generation, and promote tourism development in Hualien.

Mayor Hsu Chen-Wei said that in recent years, Hualien has been continuously developing towards the direction of “three axes, three cores, and multiple highlights.” Through integrating local culture into architectural design, Hualien aims to become an attractive city for migration and tourism. In addition, the County Government is inventorying indoor and outdoor fitness and recreational facilities in public spaces, including community activity centers and elderly centers, to create Hualien as a gym and sports field for all. Moreover, idle historical buildings will be transformed into cultural exhibition halls, integrating life into the park artistically, making Hualien a lively art museum with a sense of culture and art while integrating sports into artistic life.

Member of Legislative Yuan Fu Kun-Chi expressed his hope that after the continuous construction and equipment installation by the County Government in the future, the Hakka Cultural Park could have more diverse uses and development. He hopes that everyone can immerse themselves in Hakka culture and fall in love with it, continuing to support the bright future of Hualien.

The Hakka Cultural Park located in Ji'an Township is situated at the junction of Section 1 of Jifeng Road and Section 2 of Zhongzheng Road along the Provincial Highway No.9. Besides the Hakka Cultural Hall and the Performing Arts Hall, the surrounding existing buildings also include the area of Nanpu Park, with a total area of approximately 1.5 hectares. To make more effective use of this area, the County Government has allocated an initial budget of 64.2 million NT dollars for planning and designing the Hakka Cultural Park as part of an important administrative project. It is scheduled to be completed by the year 2025. The future facilities in the park will include a Hakka-style archway resembling a horse’s back, a multi-functional extreme sports field, water features such as fountains, a square of blessing, and a Hakka-themed globe. It is hoped that the diversified and innovative appearance of the park will present a unique Hakka cultural atmosphere to everyone and attract more people to participate in Hakka activities with high-quality facilities.

Director of Hakka Affairs Department, Pan Chien-Chien, stated that there are over 110,000 Hakka people in Hualien County, accounting for approximately one-third of the total population. The establishment of the Hakka Cultural Park aims not only to transform the existing Nanpu Park into a comfortable space for all ages but also to foster greater consensus among residents. Pan Chien-Chien emphasized the addition of various Hakka elements in the Hakka Cultural Park’s installation art. For instance, the horseback-shaped archway, inspired by the “horseback” feature in traditional Hakka architecture called “Huo Fang.” In Hakka feng shui, the “horseback” refers to the ridges on both sides of the roof, which are designed and decorated in the form of the five elements according to the owner’s or region’s geomancy, serving both an aesthetic purpose and meeting feng shui requirements. As for the Hakka-themed globe, it symbolizes the global distribution of Hakka people, aligning with the County’s administrative concept of “Hualien reaching out to the world, and the world coming into Hualien.” Once completed, the Hakka Cultural Park will undergo a remarkable transformation, not only enhancing Hakka imagery and ambiance but also integrating with the nearby neighbor, Ji'an Renli Wanshan Temple, to jointly promote the high-quality culture of Hakka people’s reverence for heaven and earth.

In recent years, the County Government has been actively promoting the creation of Hakka village environments in various towns and cities. Projects include the Hecheng Project series in Hualien City, Ji'an Township, and Ruisui Township, the construction and improvement plan for the Mingzhuang Hakka Language Learning Corridor, the Cikasuan Freshwater Hakka Village Corridor in Ji'an Township, the Fengtian Hakka Corridor in Shoufeng Township, the Hundred Years of Sugarcane Industry Story Corridor in Guangfu Township, the Hakka Belief Center and Botanical Dyeing Industry Environmental Creation in Fenglin Town, and the Yimin Recitation Poetry Road Environmental Creation Project in Fuli Hakka Village. In the future, efforts will continue to actively seek funding to shape the cultural characteristics of Hakka villages, create high-quality atmospheres, and welcome tourists to experience the beauty of Hakka culture in Hualien, which respects tradition and innovatively integrates local culture.