On a sunny mid-October afternoon, as a
gentle breeze blew, a group of third-graders could be found trotting around the
Zhishan Cultural and Ecological Garden, a 10-hectare park situated within the
Tienmu district of Taipei City.
The children were there because they had to
be—because they were on a school field trip. Yet they were clearly enjoying
themselves as they wandered through the garden; and they could not contain
their sense of wonder and excitement as they were told by their guide what
Taipei was like hundreds and thousands of years ago.
As 5000 years ago, their guide
explained, many parts of what is now Taipei City had been a huge lake. Before
then, for millions of years, the area had been inhabited by fish. The
occurrence of plate tectonics turned a watery lake into dry land. To
commemorate the city’s “history,” the entrance to the park contains an
ecological lake, dotted with ducks, turtles, egrets and other creatures that
live off the water.
A special type of fish—Marcropodus
opercularis Ahl, more commonly known as Paradise Fish—is being raised in the
lake; until only six months ago the species was considered endangered and had
to be protected by a special wildlife protection edict.
Li Ming-hung, the park’s deputy-director,
said that the park is unique in Taiwan because it is the nation’s first
designated ecological park.
“Zhishan is like a living fossil, with
traces of creatures that lived on this part of the land dating many years back.
This being the case, we try to highlight the rich local geological system that
consisted of plants found in the ocean, marshlands and inland—the only place in
the Taipei Basin with such important geological features.”
Old as the Zhishan area is, as an actual
park open to the public it has been in existence for only a few years, since
Jan. 1, 2006. Before then it had been, of all things, an ammunition depot
operated by the Military Intelligence Bureau under the National Defense
Ministry.
After using the site for 40 years, in 2002
the MIB handed over the place to the Taipei City Government, whose Cultural
Affairs Bureau started a series of renovations in an effort to transform the
site into an educational venue and leisure center for residents and visitors of
Taipei.
“We spent a lot of time getting rid of some
kind of strange grease from the pond,” Li recalled. “We had no idea what kind
of gasoline the military had dumped into the pond. But fortunately we were able
to get most of it out.”
The main building sitting in the back of
the garden is called Zhishan Exhibition Hall. On the first floor, visitors can
view the history and ecological transition of Zhishanyan, such as the oyster
shells dug up from the Songshan stratum (over 6,000 years ago), which are 10
times as big as the oysters seen nowadays. The room also contains many
artifacts unearthed from archaeological excavations nearby, as well as
information about those who resided on the cliff at various times.
The second floor houses a multifunction
audiovisual theater, a multimedia classroom, and a TV studio, where children
can practice being professional TV anchors and receive a DVD of their
performance afterwards.
To the right of the exhibition hall stands
the ecological greenhouse used for the cultivation of many kinds of native
plants, with an aquarium enabling visitors to observe tree frogs and other
animals up close. There are currently more than 280 native plants in the
garden.
“One special attraction of the garden is
the Bread Home, which is a rehabilitation center for injured birds established
by the Wild Bird Society of Taipei with a sizable donation from Dow Chemical
Taiwan Ltd. in the fall of 2006,” Li indicated.
Tentative members of the Bread Home include
some Formosan Blue Magpie, Collard Scops Owls, and a few others. “The Home only
accepts birds which are suffering from physical injuries and have been referred
by a veterinarian. We cannot accommodate sick birds because they need more
professional care,” explained Li.
Why “Bread Home”? Li told the sad tale of a
pitiful bird that died from inappropriate care. Several years ago, a baby
Collard Scops Owl had fallen out of its nest. Not knowing that owls are
carnivores, the person who found the owl and tried to nurse it back to health
fed it with bread.
Though the owl recovered from its injuries,
it grew weaker by eating only bread. It was seriously ill by the time it was
taken into the care of vets, who named the hapless creature “Bread.”
“And we named the facility ‘Bread Home’ in
memory of the owl,” said Li with a sigh.
Next to Bread Home is a small vegetable garden
where basil, mint, strawberries, eggplant, bitter melon, lettuce, Australian
tea trees and native tea trees are grown.
“The purpose of the veggie garden is to
show children how ordinary vegetables and herbs are planted.” Kids usually have
a wonderful time recognizing the vegetables they eat, Li observed.
On the opposite side of the garden is the
archaeological exploration classroom. The room displays an actual excavation in
cross-section in which visitors are able to see the different cultures which
existed on different levels. It serves as "living" material for
people who are keen to learn about the geological history and various cultures
of ancient Taipei.
As Li pointed out, the garden is still
relatively young in terms of its operation history, and it is in urgent need of
support from both the public and the private sectors. Though it receives
funding from the Taipei City Government, it requires more money to improve its
facilities in order to make it a better place to visit.
“Part of my job is to come up with projects
that will help boost our customer base. At this moment, we are hoping to work
with other tourist attractions in neighboring areas, including Guandu Nature
Park, Beitou Hot Springs Museum and Hong Gah Museum to form alliances,” Li
explained.
Each place could benefit from the sharing
of resources. If they could all band together to create more fun activities for
tourists, all would receive more ticket revenues, Li said. He hopes that his
design of a one-day tour package will materialize within one year so that the
garden becomes better known. Then perhaps its financial situation will improve
as well, Li said.
( Writer: Miss. Lishan Chang of Government Information Office.Republic of China.dated 6th Nov.2009 )
Visitor Guidelines
Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Ticket booth close at 4:30 p.m.)
Closed: every Mondays and Chinese New Year Holidays.
Adult NT$50 / General visitors
Concessions NT$30 / Students with valid ID
Group NT$20 / Group over 20 people
Free
Visitor aged above 65 years old or under 6 years old (valid ID needed.)
Registered disabled persons and one necessary companion.
Residents in Shilin District with valid ID, except the group entry application.
Indigenous elders above 55 years old, registered in Taipei City ( with Household Certificate or Senior Citizen Easy Card.)
Volunteers with Honorary Voluntary Service Card.
Only opened on weekends and holidays, 11:00-12:00 / 15:30-16:30 (free admission and guide services.)
Weekdays: group reserved in advance only with NT$ 500 guide fee per group.
Do not eat or drink in the Exhibition Room. Visitors can eat their meal in the outdoor area.
No smoking in the whole area.
No pets allowed. Service animals are welcome.
No bicycle, scooters, skateboards, or roller-skates.
This area has been designated as Level-Two Ancient Monument. Do not pick the flowers and plants or harass wildlife.
Do not disturb other visitors during the visit.
Free guide tour: 10:30 / 14:30 during weekends and holidays.
Opening hours of the Archaeology Exhibition Room: 11:00-12:00 / 15:30-16:30 during weekends and holidays.
