Toddlers ask Hau Lung-pin to help find the little duck; Beitou’s wild duck fountain is recreated

Travel Center / Taipei Report

The yellow rubber duck in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour has gone, but the one in Beitou Park is back. The wild duck fountain in front of the Beitou Park Library accompanied many locals as they grew up and was also a popular photo spot for visitors. However, it went missing many years ago, leaving many long-time Beitou residents feeling quite regretful. Recently, children from the junior class of the kindergarten attached to Taipei Municipal Cultural Elementary School wrote a letter to Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, hoping he could help retrieve the bronze duck.

The letter read: “A bronze duck that could squirt water very well in the fountain has disappeared. Our grandparents are very sad and hope the duck will come back. Can you help us find it or make another one? Everyone would be very happy. Thank you for your help.” The sincere tone moved Hau Lung-bin to fulfill the children’s wish. He specially asked a well-known local sculptor to recreate an identical wild duck fountain head, bringing back the scene of the past.

%The children and their elders wait eagerly for the return of the duck (Photo provided by Taipei City Government Department of Information and Tourism)

Hau Lung-bin stated that to fulfill the children’s hope, a renowned local sculptor was invited to recreate the wild duck fountain head, and a ceremony was held to mark its restoration. At the event, in addition to Hau Lung-bin, children from the junior class of the kindergarten attached to Taipei Municipal Cultural Elementary School also participated in the inauguration. The children recited the children’s poem “Beitou’s Little Wild Duck” to thank the city government for retrieving the Beitou duck. The Department of Information and Tourism also specially asked a local bakery to customize little duck-shaped cookies, which were given to all the children and guests to share in the joy of Beitou Park regaining its century-old charm.

%Children enjoy the duck-themed treats on the event day (Photo provided by Taipei City Government Department of Information and Tourism)

On June 15, Beitou Park grandly held its centennial commemorative event. In addition to the unveiling ceremony of the monument for Ichimura Daikichi, the founder of Beitou Park, there were also activities such as a grand parade celebrating the park’s centennial era, a centennial fun fair, a centennial singing competition, and an exhibition of centennial-themed situational art installations. The “Centennial Era Parade” called on all citizens to dress up as historical figures from Beitou’s past 100 years, such as Sun Yat-sen, Liang Qichao, Crown Prince Hirohito, Teresa Teng, and Yu Youren, to stage a parade through the park’s past and present. Through the interplay of costumes and characters from various eras, everyone celebrated the birthday of Beitou Park together.