Saving ChungLi5Art – Building a railway museum

The traditional Hakka settlement of Zhongli has more than two hundred years of development. The growth of railway transportation during the Japanese Occupation period laid the foundation for Zhongli’s local influence. In the past, it was not only a key area of rice production in northern Taiwan but also a key distribution center for materials in southern Taoyuan. Later, when the city transformed from agriculture to commerce, it became a prosperous Hakka market town. Railways and transportation have made a huge contribution to the prosperity of Zhongli.

ChungLi5Art is committed to providing local artists and cultural workers with a stage and space for performances. At the same time, it organizes art festivals in conjunction with local issues, hoping to transform the hardness of protests into soft appeals through art. Sadly, however, this may be the last year of the warehouse. Due to the undergroundization of Taoyuan rail lines, the warehouse is under threat of demolition. Du Yan-ying (杜彥穎), the co-founder of ChungLi5Art, hopes the warehouse can be saved for its cultural and historic value and transformed into Zhongli Railway Museum Park to promote the area’s rich railway culture.

以下為中文對照

保留中壢五號倉庫 打造鐵道博物園區

中壢這個城市有兩百多年的發展，是傳統的客家庄聚落。日治時期鐵道運輸的發展，奠定了中壢在地方上的重要性，過去不僅為為北台灣的重要米產地，更是南桃園物資聚集的中心，後來由農業轉商業，形塑成為繁榮的客家市街，鐵路及運輸更帶動了中壢的繁榮。

中壢五號倉庫藝文基地致力於提供在地藝文工作者，一個發揮的舞台空間，同時，結合在地議題舉辦藝術節，期望將生硬的陳情抗議轉化成藝術形式的軟性訴求。然而，今年卻可能是倉庫的最後一年，因桃園鐵路地下化的緣故，倉庫面臨被拆除的危機，五號倉庫共同發起人杜彥穎期望，能讓倉庫群以歷史建築的文化資產保存，並打造中壢鐵道博物園區，推廣中壢鐵道文化。