"Strive with dignity and remain unperturbed in adversity." The Air Force San-Chong First Village, situated near the Tamsui River, covers an area of approximately 1.38 hectares and is the last anti-aircraft artillery dependents’ village in northern Taiwan. In 2006 it was registered as a historic building, becoming the first cultural-asset military dependents’ village in New Taipei City. During the Japanese colonial period, to defend against Allied air raids, the Japanese army built six anti-aircraft gun emplacements here. In 1953, taking these positions as the core, dozens of dependents’ dormitories were successively constructed. Later, because the village was close to the Tamsui River and frequently damaged by typhoons and flooding, repeated renovations gradually produced the appearance seen today.
The only surviving anti-aircraft artillery dependents’ village in northern Taiwan, Air Force San-Chong First Village was chiefly home to families of high-angle artillery units. Owing to urban-development needs, the original residents were relocated to Jian-Hua New Town in Banqiao starting in 2007. Enthusiastic citizens, civic groups, and village organizers, wishing to preserve the memory of dependents’-village life, jointly launched a series of preservation campaigns; with public-sector support, the entire village was saved.
After restoration was completed in 2019, Air Force San-Chong First Village was transformed into the “New Taipei City Military Dependents’ Village Cultural Park,” dedicated to conserving and promoting dependents’-village culture. By uniting the efforts of diverse stakeholders and connecting local sentiments with artistic and cultural resources, it has injected new vitality into the culture of military villages. Since April 2023, parts of the village have been operated under concession by a private company. The entrance image has been redesigned, local specialty shops have been introduced, and the site has been reborn as a base for artistic creation, spurring development in the San-Chong district.