This past weekend I went to a tiny (I mean, tiiiiny) little village inside of a huge city.
The huge city was called Taichung. The tiny village was called Rainbow Village.
The entire village is painted with quirky designs and tons of colors.
The following is taken from a website describing the village:
"It’s hard to believe that one man can change the fate of an entire village.
Huang Yung-fu, an 86-year-old war veteran has done just this.
Huang lives in a village in a corner of the Taiwanese city of Taichung, a community that was created for Nationalist soldiers in the 1940s and 50s. Over the years, the place slowly changed into a permanent settlement, suffering from urban problems like abandonment, decay and housing dereliction. However, none of this is visible in the settlement today, thanks to the transformation brought about by Huang’s colorful paintings. The streets and the walls of practically every building in the village are covered with Huang’s simplistic paintings of plants, animals, TV personalities, birds and buffaloes. Considering the fact that he began painting [in 2009], his accomplishment is pretty huge. The bright colors and simple strokes used by Huang only add to the attractiveness of his work...
Born in Hong Kong, Huang is quite a healthy man for his age. He doesn’t drink alcohol, smoke, or gamble. He started painting just to kill time, but it has now become a passion for him. A self-taught artist, he started off painting for himself, but was soon discovered by students of a nearby university. They took pictures of his work and spread the word. The pictures soon went viral, making the small settlement a major tourist attraction in Taiwan. Rainbow Village is now listed as one of the must-see spots in Taichung City."
Pretty cool.
Almost every inch was painted, including the floor.
The black cat all the way to the left is kinda creepy and random amidst all the happy children.
Nobody home.
The one above reminds me of my mom and her love for quirky things.
It was crowded. Lots of people in a tiny space.
A stranger asked to take a picture with me. Another 10 seconds of fame.
A faceless man making clay ornaments of Disney characters.
This is the view from the Taichung train platform. Crazy!
It was a cool day and a neat tourist attraction.
4 comments:
Craig I'm in love with this village. Plus I love how famous you're becoming. Bonus. I also love the picture where you are flexing like the painting. I can't even believe how long this would take.
So cool!
I love that place. So much to see and take in. Quirky is a good word for all of it. Thanks for all the wonderful pictures.
Hmn. Chinese Graffiti only in a nice way. Maybe some of our American Graffitiists could take a lesson or two. How colorful. Nice views. Great post Craig. Thanks
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