Buddha World 佛陀世界
“Please do not come here over a few photographs taken at the right angle to visit an abandoned park that is already a wasteland!” the man said, urging the public to give space to the Buddhist residents.
新竹關西景點》佛陀世界 童話通天城堡 台版迪士尼樂園 城堡控旅人絕不可錯過!
Hankou Kansai Fairy Tale World Amusement Park (Buddha World), Shimen Reservoir
An abandoned theme park in Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西) has become a popular weekend tourist destination after pictures of it spread online, causing frustration among Buddhist recluses who use the site.
Curious netizens have been drawn to the site by its main building, which some have likened to Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Hong Kong Disneyland resort.
Buddhists who live for up to 10 years in relative isolation from the general public now use the site as a makeshift monastery, saying they hope their lifestyle can continue undisturbed by visitors.
Abandoned theme park draws tourists - Taipei Times
The theme park, which was originally named Fairy Tale Land (童話世界) was a large knockoff of Disneyland that opened up over forty years ago. The park ultimately ended up being forced out of business by the local government a few decades ago due to environmental issues.
The land around the reservoir is notorious for having sediment issues and the local authorities couldn't allow construction in the area to cause water degradation to the reservoir which provides water service for millions of people in northern Taiwan.
The land was later bought by the Rinzai Buddhist sect (臨濟宗) who thought that they would be able to use it not only for a monastery, but a Buddhist themed park for tourists. Unfortunately, the same environmental concerns that forced Fairy Tale Land out of business made it impossible for the sect to construct anything on the land meaning that the planned theme park would never come to fruition.
With the idea for an amusement park abandoned, the area became a place of solitude for the monks and nuns who lived there. The original structures that were left over from Fairy Tale Land still existed, but were used merely for storage forcing most of them to fall into disrepair and eventually being torn down.
Buddha's World Abandoned Theme Park (佛陀世界)
20151222空拍【新竹關西童話世界遊樂園(佛陀世界)、石門水庫】。Buddha World and Shih-Men reservoir in HsinChu Taiwan - YouTube
