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The teeming city of Taipei has an expansive green oasis in Fudekeng Park in Muzha where people can race remote-control airplanes to their hearts' delight. (Hsueh Chi-kuang)
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If someone told you that former landfills were gaining popularity as tourist destinations, you could hardly be blamed for dismissing the notion as preposterous. Yet somehow many of these unsightly legacies bequeathed by Taiwan's material growth in the last century have been transformed by over 20 years of grooming and greening into relaxing spaces for urban dwellers. Just how was it possible to expunge the fetid associations from the collective consciousness?
If one makes the journey up the coastal highway towards Kee-lung, just a little past Ba-douzi Fishing Harbor is a site that many bloggers tout as a great place to visit with the kids: Chao-jing Park. Framed by mountain and oceanic splendor, the park also offers crisp, verdant open spaces. In the distance, Mt. Ji-long is visible, as is the mountain resort town Jiu-fen, forming an unbroken arc of natural beauty that draws appreciative holiday crowds.
Back in Tai-pei in the mountainous district of Mu-zha is a secret haven for remote-control aircraft aficionados. Even on workdays you'll see aviation enthusiasts of all ages with their beloved personally customized gadgets, matching skills with one another. On clear days, brightly colored fighter planes and helicopters race energetically against a sunlit blue backdrop, looking like something out of an animated film.
"Whenever work's not going the way it should, I come to this place. It's not easy to find as expansive and green a spot as Fu-de-keng Park in Taipei," avers a Mr. Chen.
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