Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Mission

Preface

With the surrounding mountains bedecked in green and placed next to a steadily running river, running Yuanshan Park has been blessed by its breath-taking scenic backdrop. Here, the Taipei Children's Recreation Center has become a popular conversation topic among many due to its newly improved facilities. The Center’s entire renovation project, ranging from decision-making to planning, processing and official completion, was the result of the devotion and collective efforts of many of our previous supervisors and executive officers. Just as the Chinese expression says,"One must think of the source while drinking the water," as we enjoy this magnificent wonderland, we, too, should remember the hardships many endured to make the Center become a reality.

Geographic history

The Recreation Center is located in the northeast of the Taipei Basin on the top of Yuanshan along the southwest banks of the Keelung River. It is located on the 25.5° North Latitude and the 121.31° East Longitude. The original name of Yuanshan was Longtonshan, which was a sandy hill in former days. Tilting from west to east, the mountain’s highest altitude is approximately 36 meters. Although it is not very tall, the view from the top of Yuanshan Mountrain is very charming and enables one to catch a glimpse of all of Taipei when standing on its peak. Yuanshan is, indeed, an ideal place to go to enjoy a bird's-eye view of Taipei City.

History Background

In 1934, the Children's Amusement Park adjacent to the Yuanshan Zoo was placed under the supervision of the Taipei Municipal Purchasing Office. In 1946, the Bureau of Education of the Taipei City Government assumed management of the zoo and the Children's Amusement Park was then placed under the supervision of the Bureau of Public Works. In 1958, the park management was switched to civilian management and was renamed as “The Chungshan Children's Amusement Park.” In 1967, Taipei City was reformed and, in June 1968, the Taipei City Government took back the ownership of the amusement park and placed it under the management of the Bureau of Education. In April 1970, it was combined with the zoo and, thereby, became known as the Zoo’s Subsidiary Children's Amusement Park. Due to the detailed plans of Directors Tzen Kuang Wei (from April 1970 to June 1973) and Wang Kuang Pin (from June 1973 to July 1986), the Park has become the most popular recreational site for both the young and elderly, alike, in Taipei.
The Taipei Municipal Children's Recreation Center was constructed on the combined site of both the former Yuanshan Zoo and the Children's Amusement Park. In 1984, its name was changed to The Taipei Municipal Children's Recreation Center by vote. The preparation office of The Taipei Municipal Children's Recreation Center was officially founded on July 1st 1986 and completed on June 30th 1991, with its name having been officially settled on July 1st. The Center is divided into the following three theme areas that each possess their own unique characteristics: 1) "Folk Arts World", 2) "Amusement World," and 3) "Science World".
Folk Arts World offers visitors a glimpse of the life experiences of our ancestors and was officially opened to the public on January 1st 1991. Amusement World focuses mainly on the recreational activities of children and teenagers, while Science World emphasizes the introduction of updated scientific knowledge. The 3D Vision Theatre was opened to the public on August 1992. These three areas present the different styles and features of "folklore,", "amusement," and "science." All in all, the Park is a multi-faceted recreational center that provides ample educational and amusement opportunities for all.