I’m a big fan of Street Art (see Street Art on my travels) so am always on the lookout for this or similar art on my travels. It’s usually just one wall, rather than entire buildings that are painted with murals. However, in Taiwan I found a whole village that had been painted. Known as the “rainbow village”.
Huang Yong Fu started painting his veteran village in rainbow colours, back in 2010. Students from the local university then petitioned to save this village from being torn down, taking art appreciation to another level.
The rainbow village is in the Nantun District of Taichung, in Taiwan. It’s one of the most visited tourist sites, despite being quite far from the city centre.
Of course, I had to include this in my to do list, and see it for myself. So, we stopped off here enroute to the Gaomei wetlands, out of town.
The art
It seems odd that this cluster of buildings can be found amidst it’s more modern surroundings. The small buildings are virtually just rooms. Painted from floor to ceiling in bright colours. There are animals, birds and characters everywhere, even on the ground. It’s quite something, although much smaller than I had expected.
The art work has all been completed by Mr Huang and he can still be found painting there today. He also still lives in the village, although it’s now a tourist site with official opening times and a large newly built car park, so he probably doesn’t get much peace and quiet or time to himself.
As I wandered round each corner trying to avoid the crowds I couldn’t help think, how lovely it was that these childlike paintings had saved someone’s home. They weren’t particularly good, but the style was certainly unique. The use of bright colours makes it a happy place, quite a contrast to what it could have been.
Plan a visit
There’s a small gift and coffee shop. If your lucky you can meet the artist as well.
To be honest, it does feel a bit of a shame that it’s such a tourist trap. Full of Instagrammers competing for a glimpse of any new pieces and everyone snapping selfies.
You only need 10 to 15 minutes to visit, as there’s just a small number of mostly vacant buildings to explore. I would recommend including a visit in your itinerary, when visiting other places around the city of Taichung. There is nothing much else nearby to see or do however.
Make sure you look for the souvenir stamp when you visit, there’s one at every sight in Taiwan. See more about these in my post Souvenir stamping in Taiwan.
How to get there
Visiting independently can be difficult without your own transport. As mentioned, it’s best to include the village as a stop when en route elsewhere. Alternatively take a taxi, although there are local buses.
Taxi: cost 260-300NTD.
Bus: Bus No 27 from Taichung main station to Lingtung University (嶺東科技大學(嶺東路). Walk approx 400m south, along Lingtung Rd. The village is on the right. Bus No 56 from Xinwuri or Gancheng stations is direct to the village.
