The gilded “Bell of the Cardboard Church”  “The real Cardboard Church” is located in Taitung

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Renowned designer Xiao Qingyang won the Best Album Packaging Award at this year’s Golden Melody Awards for “Bell of the Cardboard Church.” The design was inspired by his deep attachment to the Yiwang Church of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Yuwan Parish, in Chenggong Township, Taitung County. After winning the award, this “poetically beautiful” little church once again became a hot topic.

▲ The Yiwang Church of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, known as the “Cardboard Church,” is described as “beautiful like poetry.” (Photo / from Xiao Qingyang’s Facebook fan page)

There are many churches in the towns along the East Coast, and Chenggong Township is no exception. The “Cardboard Church” is the Yiwang Church of the Presbyterian Church, the most well-known church in Chenggong Township. Its appearance, colorful and bright like a cartoon church on a postcard, often attracts visitors. Xiao Qingyang was deeply fascinated the first time he visited, and during media interviews, he even insisted on being interviewed with the Cardboard Church in the background.

▲ Night view of the Cardboard Church taken from the rooftop of Yiren Bay B&B (Photo / provided by Yiren Bay B&B)

In the early days, the Cardboard Church was a thatched chapel. It was rebuilt in 1951 (the 40th year of the Republic of China) and was destroyed by a typhoon in 1971 (the 60th year of the Republic of China). Lay member Layperson Lai Mingde, an Amis tribesman, used the image of a small European countryside church from a Christmas card given by a missionary as a blueprint. Every brick and tile of the church was DIY-built by believers and local residents. In 2003 (the 92nd year of the Republic of China), it was listed as a historical building by Taitung County Government, and last year it was voted one of the “101 Pearl Highlights of Eastern and Central Taiwan” by the Tourism Bureau.

Address of the Cardboard Church: No. 17, Yiwan Road, Chenggong Township, Taitung County (next to the 101.5 km mark of Provincial Highway 11)