14 years ago an 84-year-old former Taiwanese soldier painted an entire village to prevent it from being demolished. Now, at 98, the painter is still there, as is the village, which has since become a popular attraction for travelers.
Rainbow Village, a nest of small houses in Taiwan, is an open-air work of art, where animals and human figures painted on the walls color the maze of streets in the village. The artist of the work, Huang Yung Fu, to deceive boredom, began to paint the walls of what was once called "Caihong", a complex of houses for the military.
When the man learned that the town, where he lived with his wife, would be razed to the ground, he decided that he would paint not only parts of the village, but every street, wall and door. Now Rainbow Village is an internationally recognized tourist attraction, where Huang and his wife are the only residents.
In 2010, some professors and students from Ling Tung and Hungkuang Universities stumbled upon the paintings by chance and were struck by their beauty. Thus the student Charles Tsai, with the collaboration of the academic community, organized the “Save Rainbow Village” campaign, in order to preserve the place. As the initiative spread, Huang began to be known as 'Rainbow Grandfather'.
The campaign was a success and the area is still preserved as an art park today. An internationally recognized value, so much so that Lonely Planet has defined Rainbow Village as one of the "secret wonders of the world".
Due to the maintenance costs of the village, the government created the Rainbow Cultural and Creative Co., a body that works to restore and preserve the murals.
Source: Taiwanese Ministry of Culture
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