In a Distant Taiwanese City, Discovery of a Writer & a New Philosophical Perspective

Today's wondrous Lyu-chuan was once extremely polluted and a plan was made to intercept upstream flow of the canal to Zhonghua water treatment plant, which substantially brought down its level of pollution.

- VENUS UPADHAYAYA

Some days are remarkable and this is my day in a city far away from home. Walking through the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) campus in the central Taiwanese city of Taichung, I came across a signboard hidden within a bush with fresh spring to it. It was titled "Riverfrontology" and it described a "design philosophy" of urban landscaping. It detailed how "river, community and campus" are key to establishing a riverfront lifestyle along the Lyu-chuan or the Willow River.

After arriving in Taichung, the Lyu-chuan had caught my eye—the neat pathways on its edges, the tall willow trees lining it and above all the layers of flower beds that decorated its side walls. It was a discovery to uncover its design philosophy and to realize in principle how design inspires life and vice versa. After all, civilizations have flourished and evolved on riverfronts.

Encouraged by what I had encountered, when I reached a bridge over Lyu-chuan, for the first time since I had arrived in the city, I peeped into its water and saw fish swimming through its clear, placid waters. Today's wondrous Lyu-chuan was once extremely polluted and a plan was made to intercept upstream flow of the canal to Zhonghua water treatment plant which substantially brought down its level of pollution. Lyu-chuan's story based on a highly efficient water quality improvement plant and what its engineers call "humanistic waterfronts" proves what all is achievable in the urban development of traditional waterways. We should reflect here that "humanistic waterfronts" aren't a one-time phenomenon and need a constant human touch.