"Picking Persimmons" in an Ancient Manor – The Largest Mountain Garden in the Chinese-speaking World Defies Imagination

Reported by You Ru / Taipei

With summer vacation approaching, have you decided where to take your kids to play and escape the heat? Domestic hotel operators, conceptualizing the site as the "largest mountain garden in the Chinese-speaking world," have broken away from conventional recreational experiences such as water play and summer camps. Drawing inspiration from Neo-Oriental humanistic aesthetics, they have launched the "Big Kids’ Fun Festival" from June 27 to September 1, targeting those who value life aesthetics and creative inspiration. The goal is to provide a full-day recreational experience similar to that of fixed-location activities abroad.


                                     ▲ Folding paper to create sun-dried persimmons. (Photo / Provided by operator)

Conceptualized as the "largest mountain garden in the Chinese-speaking world," The One Nan Yuan Cultural Inn in Hsinchu suggests that visitors break away from typical recreational experiences like water play and summer camps, and embrace a Neo-Oriental humanistic aesthetic approach. Guests can start their day exploring the mountain garden, admiring architectural details such as hanging fish carvings and bird perches. Drawing inspiration from the "Childhood Memories" by Eastern literary figure Shen Fu, the inn has integrated paper folding art throughout its pavilions and towers. Outdoor installations and interactive artworks such as "Folding Paper Cranes at the South Pavilion" and "Sun-Drying Paper Persimmons at the South Tower" allow visitors to engage in hands-on paper crafts. This experience echoes the highest realm of childhood imagination described in literature — "delight beyond objects" — sparking creativity in both adults and children.


▲ Paper art folded into butterflies and frogs. (Photo / Provided by operator)