aeeble

Built in the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915 CE), Zhongshan Park sits at the intersection of Zhonghua Road and Gongyuan Road in Pingtung City, covering a total area of 23,715 pings. The park is planted with a wide variety of tree species, especially old trees; in terms of species, quantity, and extent, the stands are remarkable, earning it the title “Home of Ancient Trees.” In addition, the grounds contain a children’s play area, plant-shade canopies, a coconut-tree boulevard, and monuments to historic events, while preserving a pond, arched bridge, pavilion, and air-raid-shelter ruins from the Japanese colonial era, making it a green space that combines recreation with history and culture. Zhongshan Park’s vast grounds are dominated by greenery that forms its most captivating sight: banyans, camphor trees, Indian almonds, casuarinas, Formosan ash, frangipani, and more all display their most charming forms here. The banyans’ long, dense aerial roots resemble bearded elders, giving an air of kindly wisdom; the camphor trunks are furrowed like pages covered with text, suggesting a scholar’s temperament; the tall Indian almonds, with level-spreading limbs and brown-black trunks, evoke sturdy farmers. For anyone who loves trees, Zhongshan Park is a place to indulge the eye. During the Japanese period, shrines were common; Zhongshan Park once held the Suehiro Inari Shrine. After Taiwan’s retrocession, the shrine was demolished: its site was turned into a hexagonal pavilion, its base converted into an air-raid shelter, while the pond and arched bridge were left intact as historically valuable relics. The bridge is especially noteworthy: not only is its deck a smooth arc, but even the balustrade panels and handrails follow the curve, while short square posts complete the design, creating a graceful, elegant structure that stands out within the park.