How was it that a veteran who was 96 years old prevented the destruction of a city? And what did it take for the rainbow granddad to become the savior of Rainbow Village, which has come to represent Taiwan?
Taichung was previously one of the localities that provided shelter to two million Chinese soldiers fleeing their Nationalist regime. These soldiers fled to Taichung from other towns around China. The only thing that keeps the countryside of central Taiwan alive in the modern day is the grandfather, who is 96 years old and paints in silence. Huang Yung-fu leaves his two-room bungalow every day to paint the walls of the buildings in the village, which were formerly home to a ceaseless hum of insect life. Without Huang’s passion, a place that is now inhabited by a beautiful kaleidoscope would have been demolished a long time ago. Today, the kaleidoscope breathes new life into the location.
When Huang, a veteran of the military, was decorating a bird on the wall of his bedroom, that when everything began. All the homes still standing in Taichung have been transformed into works of art. The location, which was given the name Rainbow Village and turned into a popular tourist destination, is frequented by one million visitors annually due to the presence of surrealist drawings and abstract animals. And it all began with Huang, also known as Grandpa Rainbow, spending too much time alone.
The transformation of Huang Yung-fu from a soldier to an artist is recounted here.
He was not an artist in any way, shape, or form. On the other hand, he recalls spending time with his father and drawing when he was five. He fled his family when he was just 15 years old to fight against the Japanese occupation of China. He was born in the region of Guangzhou, China.
Following the end of World War II, Huang engaged in combat against the communist government of Mao Zedong. And when the Nationalist Party was crushed in 1948, leading to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong, Huang, along with more than two million troops and their families, accompanied Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan.
To provide for their needs, military settlements were established throughout the island. Places where they were expected to live up until the time when the Nationalists retook control of China. But this time frame was never observed.
Huang, who was still active, resided at multiple bases in Taiwan and was shot down twice during bombing missions by the Chinese. In addition, he withdrew from the army in 1978, having been awarded the gold medal for “Defense of Taiwan.”
Then, after amassing all of his riches, he purchased a bungalow in a town known as Taichung. He spent the first 40 years of his life there without incident until the state institutions decided to leave him alone and dismantle the region.
Town of the rainbow
What role did art play in preserving Rainbow Village, which at one time comprised 1200 households?
As time passed, the Chinese Communists became increasingly hostile, and as a result, many soldiers decided to abandon their homes, leading to the building’s deterioration. As a result, the government of Taiwan concluded that these regions needed to be destroyed. And as of right now, there are only 29 remaining out of the original 879 military settlements.
In the beginning, there were over 1,200 houses in Taichung, but as time passed, individuals either moved away or passed away, and Huang was left alone. And beginning in 2008, real estate developers in the area started demolishing the settlements, leaving behind only 11 dwellings at the end of the process. But Huang did not have anywhere else to go. Because he was unmarried and had no relatives living in Taiwan, he decided to continue living in the bungalow he had purchased. The soldier grabbed a brush and started painting when he got a letter from the government telling him he had to leave the area. The first thing he did was draw a bird on the bedroom wall. After that, some kitties. And gradually, each vacant home acquired a new coat of paint. However, the renowned grandfather is currently 96 years old, and his health is not as good as it was when he was younger.
Grandpa Rainbow is what everyone calls him, yet Huang does not have any children of his own. It would appear, however, that one is never too old to find love. So it was in 2013 when Huang fell in love while he was being treated for pneumonia at the local hospital. After falling in love with one of the nurses, Huang quickly married her, which resulted in Rainbow Village’s population increasing by a factor of two.
The vision of a granddad came to be recognized across the nation.
However, before Huang fell in love, he was discovered at Ling Tung University by a fellow student who began to back him up in his struggle against the government. He started a campaign to raise money for the paint by simultaneously advertising his drawings and establishing a donation drive. In addition to that, he started a petition in the hopes that the community would not be destroyed. Within a short period, the mayor of Taichung received more than 80,000 emails from residents pleading with him not to destroy the area. And everyone listened to what they had to say. Taichung’s mayor decided in October 2010 that the 11 residences should be maintained and turned into a public park.
The events of Huang’s novel were brought to life, and official statistics show that in 2016, more than 1.25 million people went to the park. Over more than ten years, Huang could pay for the paint thanks to the gifts in front of his home. Postcards and other visual materials, like posters, are currently being sold by students of Ling Tunga to generate money for charities that provide care for seniors.
Huang continues to draw each building in Rainbow Village, which is where he resides, regularly. However, around the age of 96, his strength starts to deteriorate more and more gradually. As a result, he wants the neighborhood to become an art school for youngsters and his cottage to be converted into a museum.
Rainbow Village is not simply a public park with brightly colored buildings; instead, it demonstrates endurance, tenacity, and determination in action. It is a location that was rescued thanks to a generous heart. And the wish of a soldier who is 96 years old yet will never expire. Today, the area of Taichung that the government planned to demolish has been transformed into the Rainbow Village, which serves as a national symbol.
Introducing the book The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life
Even though there is mounting evidence that 5g will harm our health, safety, and environment, the rollout of 5g technology has already begun across the country. The Invisible Rainbow is a ground-breaking book that tells the tale of electricity in a way that has never been done before, illuminating the authentic influence that electricity has on the biosphere and human health.
There was a sale of 100,000 copies!
Over the past 220 years, there has been a steady evolution toward the widespread acceptance of the idea that human beings and the world are not in any danger from electricity. This conviction is challenged by scientist and journalist Arthur Firstenberg, who tells the history of electricity in a way that it has never been told before — from the perspective of the environment — by describing the effects that this fundamental societal building block has had on both our health and our planet.
In his book, “The Invisible Rainbow,” Firstenberg traces the history of electricity from the early eighteenth century to the present day. He makes a compelling case that many environmental problems, as well as the major diseases of industrialized civilization—heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—are related to electricity. Firstenberg traces the history of electricity from the early eighteenth century to the present day.
