An abandoned theme park in Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西) has become a popular weekend tourist destination after pictures of it spread online, causing frustration among Buddhist recluses who use the site.
Curious netizens have been drawn to the site by its main building, which some have likened to Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Hong Kong Disneyland resort.
Buddhists who live for up to 10 years in relative isolation from the general public now use the site as a makeshift monastery, saying they hope their lifestyle can continue undisturbed by visitors.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
The Buddhists have said they are also concerned that buildings on the site might not be safe and have advised the public to avoid entering them.
The site, which has been nicknamed Buddha World, was built 40 years ago as a children’s theme park called Fairytale World, former Tungshan Borough (東山) warden Chou Ting-chen (周廷珍) said.
The park was once considered as beautiful as nearby Leofoo Village Theme Park, Chou said.
Fairytale World was forced to close due to issues surrounding a water-conservation ordinance, he said.
The park was then taken over by Buddhists to use for monastic practices, Chou said, adding that they are familiar with the structures on the site and have not added new ones.
One recluse, who declined to be named, said the group follows the Linchi school of Chan Buddhism, adding that the group has lived in isolation on the site for more than 10 years, only allowing the public to enter between 9am and 4pm every Saturday and Sunday for religious ceremonies.
The man said the group is concerned about people entering the castle, which has long been dilapidated and overgrown with vegetation, adding that the upper levels of the building’s tower have no doors or windows.
“The tiles have begun falling off the walls and there is a tree growing on the top floor. We used to only use that building to store recyclables,” the man said.
The man said the group had no plans to repair any of the buildings aside from plastering the structures they use in places where they are leaking, adding that the others will be left to nature.
He said the group has posted warning signs about the dangers and put up chains, adding that these measures have conversely motivated more adventurous visitors to be even more bold.
“Please do not come here over a few photographs taken at the right angle to visit an abandoned park that is already a wasteland!” the man said, urging the public to give space to the Buddhist residents.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS