The land on which the Formosan Aboriginal Culture village now stands was purchased in 1982 by the village's current president Jung-i Chang. The park was opened four years later in July 1986 with only the culture village and the European garden. The amusement park section was added in 1992.[1]
The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village is a place where people can observe Taiwanese traditional tribal lifestyle and observe an abundance of aboriginal traditions. The China Post has indicated that the village sprawls across 62 hectares (150 acres); a trip to the village offers visitors the chance to enjoy many educational and recreational riches and it easily requires an entire day to experience all the village has to offer. The village is an aboriginal theme park that is composed of three major areas: the Aboriginal Village Park, the Amusement Isle, and the European Garden. The outdoor atmosphere gives visitors a glimpse of aboriginal heritage in an authentic setting by depicting the villages and lifestyles of Taiwan's nine main tribes[2]
Rides and attractions
The Naruwan Theater
The park is composed of three main themed areas: the amusement park "Amusement Isle", an activities area "Aboriginal Village Park", and a European garden. All of the rides except the Gondola to the aboriginal village and the steam train are located in "Amusement Isle".
European Garden
The European Garden at the park
The European Garden (traditional Chinese: 歐洲花園) is the largest European garden in Taiwan.[3] Notable features are the gothic clock tower, the Roman fountain, the miniature train, and the Ritz palace. The garden itself has Aboriginal style patterns.
Aboriginal Village Park
Group of tourists at the park
The Aboriginal Village Park is the largest outdoor museum in Taiwan. It is composed of nine villages on the hillside above Amusement Isle, each representing a different aboriginal tribal community. The buildings were reconstructed based on fieldwork and blueprints drawn up by anthropologists in the 1930s and 40s.[4]
The aboriginal village employs Taiwanese aborigines from the nine tribes with whom the visitors can engage in living history. Activities include sculpting, weaving, pottery making, cooking, knitting, exercising, handicrafts making, playing, and dancing in the tradition of the aboriginal tribes.
The village represents nine aboriginal tribal cultures; it is also an amusement park that features original cultural performances, architecture, traditional clothing, hand-made crafts, etc. There are music shows and craft demonstrations in the village's Culture Square. The village also provides visitors with the opportunity to watch traditional show performers, which are all native aborigines, Taiwanese aborigines perform traditional dances representative of Taiwan's aboriginal tribes. During the shows, the performers invite audiences to participate in onstage activities, which give audiences more opportunities to get close to them and be involved in the culture[2]
Amusement Isle
The cable car
Amusement Isle is the amusement park section of the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. It is located between the culture village and the European gardens and serves as an access point to the culture village via the cable car.
The park's current rides and attractions include:
Mayan Adventure (traditional Chinese: 馬雅探險). Taiwan's first suspended roller coaster. Built by the Dutch company VEKOMA for NT$600,000,000.
UFO Adventures (traditional Chinese: UFO歷險). Taiwan's tallest free-fall ride at 280 ft (85 m). Built by Swiss company INTAMIN for NT$300,000,000.[5]
Gold Mine Exploration (traditional Chinese: 金礦山探險). A log flume ride with a 50 ft (15 m) final drop. Built by German company MACK for NT$1,000,000,000.
Caribbean Adventure (traditional Chinese: 加勒比海探險). A water coaster consisting of a backwards section and a final drop of 100 ft (30 m). Built by German company MACK for NT$360,000,000.
Spanish Coast (traditional Chinese: 西班牙海岸). A Gaudi architecture inspired area featuring three rides: A monorail built by Italian company ZAMPERLA, an interactive water ride built by German company MACK and the major attraction, a rapid river ride built by German company HAFEMA.
Aboriginal Ropeway (traditional Chinese: 九族空中纜車). Taiwan's first cable car system. Transports visitors from amusement isle to the aboriginal village. Built by Austrian company DOPPELMAYR for NT$1,000,000,000.
Aladdin Square (traditional Chinese: 阿拉丁廣場). An indoor facility that houses various small attractions. Notable among these are Space Mountain (traditional Chinese: 太空山) similar to Disneyland's Space Mountain, and Hawaii waves (traditional Chinese: 夏威夷巨浪). Other attractions include carnival games and fair rides.
The best time to visit the village is during the cherry blossom season.[citation needed] This is because the flower season gives an extra special appearance to the village.[original research?] The blossom season is between February and March depending on the weather conditions. A travel guide website in Taiwan states that the Cherry Blossom Festival has been held since 2001 with a series of events, and this season attracts an enormous number of visitors.[citation needed] The village is centered on the hundreds of cherry trees and over 2,000 cherry trees, and every year in early spring around February to March, The Sun Moon Lake, which is located to near to the village, and the village are embraced by cherry blossoms in full bloom making the area have the most cherry blossoms in central Taiwan.[citation needed] Also, during the cherry blossom festival period, lamplights are placed on each of the cherry trees in the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village.[7]
