Playing in Yilan with Picture Books: Who Knew Jimmy Liao Could Be Captured Like This

Text and photos / －SanjiNoir－Black Knight’s Literary Readings－
 
“Is this stop the end, or another beginning?”  Stepping out of Yilan Railway Station marks not only the arrival at a play destination, but also the gateway into the world of Jimmy Liao. Thanks to the thoughtful efforts of Yilan County Government and renowned picture book author Jimmy Liao and his team, who infused their hometown sentiment (yes, Jimmy Liao is from Yilan), they have collaborated to transform Yilan Railway Station and its surrounding areas into the whimsical “Jimmy Liao Square Park.”

Not only have popular Jimmy Liao creations such as "Turn Left, Turn Right," "Starry Starry Night," and "The Sound of Colors" been integrated into the scenes and characters, but they have also been transformed into tangible artistic spaces in a playful and childlike style—allowing Yilan to be known for more than just hot springs and rain, now bursting with vibrant colors instead.

In fact, it has long been a practice for cities to incorporate works by local authors into the landscape to enhance their character. Especially in Japan, where anime is currently booming, not only are characters placed along streets—such as in Tottori’s “Bleach & Detective Conan” installations or Kameari’s “Kochikame”—or themed around anime settings like “K-ON!” (a light music club), these all represent interesting fusions of life and culture. So now, the smiling giraffe from the picture book “A Happy Day in Spring” peeks out from the station, squinting at the stream of travelers coming and going.

So where to go next? Let’s head to Throw Throw Forest (the original web text is unreadable, hence represented with the “throw” character)!!! The name brings to mind a Taiwanese folk song, with this onomatopoeia representing the sound of water droplets hitting the ground as trains used to enter tunnels.

What’s with the colors on the ground?  Look up, and you’ll see the Iron Tree Forest designed by architect Huang Senyuan！ With nine iron trees echoing Yilan’s former nickname “Jiuxiong City” (City of Nine Phoenix Trees), and the train hanging above this square gradually bringing out Jimmy Liao’s colorful touch.