台東旅遊 (第二天)
A Trip to Taitung
Day Two (A)
The Paul Chiang Art Center is located at No. 132-2, Donghe Township, Taitung County. The owner of the guesthouse where we stayed last night has been a volunteer at the art center for many years. Because of his recommendation, Jean and I decided to spend this morning visiting the park.
We took our time exploring each exhibition hall and carefully admired the wide variety of artworks on display. By the time we finished, it was already afternoon, so we had lunch at Café Debussy, the café inside the park. From there, we enjoyed a wonderful view of the blue Pacific Ocean to the east.
What impressed us most was the way the buildings, the artworks, and the surrounding mountains and sea blended together so naturally. Rather than standing apart from nature, the entire art center seemed to become part of it. The peaceful atmosphere made our visit especially enjoyable, and we both felt that it was well worth the admission fee.
As a pleasant surprise, shortly after entering the park we met one of my junior schoolmates from Chiayi Teachers College, who graduated in 1983. His name is Yung-Jinn Yen (顏永進校長), the retired principal of Shengli Elementary School in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung. He is also an accomplished calligrapher. His wife, Ling-Yu Ku (古姈玉老師), is a retired teacher from Shihhu Elementary School in Kaohsiung. She has enjoyed playing the erhu, the traditional Chinese two-stringed fiddle, for the past nineteen years and is a Hakka from Meinong (美濃).
We had first met the couple the previous evening at Flower Blank House, the guesthouse where we were staying. Although we had met only the night before, we quickly found ourselves chatting like old friends. Meeting again by chance at the art center made the day even more memorable, so we asked another visitor to take a photo of the four of us together.
Our guesthouse host told us that Paul Chiang, now in his eighties, continues to paint with remarkable energy and passion. His lifelong dedication to art is truly admirable.
He also shared the story behind the art center. While living in New York during the 1980s, Chiang dreamed of opening his small summer studio in East Hampton, Long Island, to the public each year as a way of giving back to society through art. After decades of planning, that dream finally came true in Taitung with the support of architects, charitable organizations, and many friends.
Located in Jinzun, the Paul Chiang Art Center reflects the artist's lifelong creative vision. Rather than being simply a collection of galleries, it is a place where art, contemporary architecture, and the natural beauty of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean come together in perfect harmony.
The center also looks to the future. Besides exhibiting Chiang's works, it collaborates with local arts organizations in eastern Taiwan and welcomes artists from Taiwan and around the world to exchange ideas and create together. In this way, it is growing into an international platform for artistic and cultural exchange while sharing the unique beauty of Taitung with its visitors.
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相關文章 (See also)：
1) Traveling to 花格子 (Flower Blank House) (2026)
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