Taipei's restored Toad Mountain military village fully opens

台北蟾蜍山眷村修復完成、全面開放

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — One of Taipei’s last intact Air Force military dependents’ villages will fully open Friday, capping nearly a decade of restoration and cultural preservation work.

Toad Mountain Huanmin New Village, in Daan District’s Gongguan area, will host an “A Village in the Mountain City” opening festival featuring a traditional banquet, market stalls, guided tours, and live music performances, according to a press release from the site’s management.

The settlement was designated a cultural landscape by Taipei City Government in 2014 and includes 39 former Air Force housing units. Phased repairs began in 2017, with the first section opening in 2020. The full site, divided into five zones for exhibitions, studios, and visitor services, officially opens Saturday.

The village traces its roots to 1949, when the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan and established Air Force facilities on the strategically important hill. Dormitories were built for Air Force personnel and their families, forming one of Taipei’s few completely preserved military dependents’ enclaves.

Friday's official opening will feature an invitation-only “family banquet.” Public events Saturday and Sunday include a market with local foods and crafts, guided tours, and two themed music performances featuring songs from the 1940s through the 1980s, including music from the early years of Taiwanese television.

The site aims to become a long-term hub for historical memory, community programs, and cultural education, managers said.