The Planning & Construction Commission, Ministry of the Interior Balanced Rural-urban Development Advisers visited Zhudong Township on March 11 to inspect the Zhudong Township Integrated Construction Plan and visits the Zhongxing River. Zhudong is one of the few townships in Taiwan where a river runs though. The opinions of local people and the local government were heard, the plan is to turn Zhudong into a charming riverside town, linking highlights such as Zhudong Anime Park to transform the township and bring back prosperity to what was once a major township.
County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun and township Mayor Hsu Chao-chang accompanied the scholars and experts of the visiting group to the section of the river between Donglin Road and Zhongzheng South Road, the Zhudong Railway Station citizen’s living space construction project and Zhudong Animation and Comic Creative Park etc It aims, through two-way communication, to help the local government to identify matters not covered in the plan and receive suggestions from the scholars and experts, to allow the plan to be suitably adjusted to facilitate smooth future implementation.
Magistrate Chiu said that Zhudong is an important base for building the Taiwan Comics Dream Park. In the past forestry and mining prospered in Zhudong and it has rich industrial history as well as beautiful riverbank scenery, which gives it good prospects for developing tourism. With the assistance of central government funding and experts as well as scholars, the aim is to make Zhudong an ancient town that is a leisure destination like Kyoto in Japan.
Public Construction Commission, MOI representative Xiao Jia-xing pointed out that small towns that have water are most beautiful. After the overall planning of the Zhongxing River’s riverbank space, the township’s charm will be enhanced and, in conjunction with Zhudong Anime Park and other attractions it can be expected to draw in tourists from Taiwan and overseas, driving the development of and bringing prosperity to Zhudong.
In the past, the river has been “improved” on a number of occasions for flood prevention or to create parking space; however, as times have changed, experts, scholars and local citizens now believe that the government reconsider with regards to whether the old improvement method of covering the river and building concrete embankments meets the development needs of Zhudong today and ask whether it would be better to make Zhudong a charming riverside town that coexists with water. Other than its original flood prevention and drainage functions, the Zhongxing River should make more of a contribution to the life, culture, landscape and economy of Zhudong, becoming a green and blue band that links character attractions such as the Zhudong Animation and Comic Creative Park and the Hakka Traditional Crafts Center.