TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Changhua County opened a new story museum at the historic Zhongxing military dependents’ village on Wednesday, using artificial intelligence to recreate scenes of Taiwan’s postwar military dependents’ communities.
Changhua County Magistrate Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) attended the opening ceremony alongside Bureau of Cultural Heritage Chief Secretary Chang Yu-chuang (張祐創) and other guests, marking the completion of years of restoration work finalized in March. Wang said the project cost about NT$270 million (US$8.3 million), including NT$34 million from the Ministry of National Defense, NT$84.5 million from the Ministry of Culture, and NT$151 million in county funds, per the Changhua County Government.
The Zhongxing military dependents’ village story museum is divided into two exhibition halls, with Hall One documenting the migration of military dependents to Taiwan and Hall Two using AI installations to reconstruct daily life and historical settings, per CNA. The site dates to 1950 and housed about 110 households, primarily soldiers from Shandong who served in the Qingdao Security Brigade under Major General Kao Fang-hsien (高芳先) and their families, making it Changhua’s oldest military dependents’ village, per the Changhua County Cultural Heritage Database Management System.
Zhongxing Village is one of 13 nationally designated military dependents’ village preservation sites, and its restoration is expected to connect with nearby attractions in the Bagua Mountain area to boost tourism. The county is also introducing private-sector participation through a rehabilitate-operate-transfer model, with plans for themed lodging, cultural retail, exhibitions, guided tours, and community programs, per the Changhua County Cultural Affairs Bureau.
About 30% of the park will open for trial operations by the end of June, with full operations scheduled for December. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays, per CNA.
