Dialogue with Huang Chunming and Jimmy Liao at Yilan Railway Station’s Jimmy Square and Fairy Tale Park

Text & Photos /Little White Whale

The Jimmy Square in front of Yilan Railway Station has become an ultra-popular and must-visit photo spot for many travelers to Yilan in recent years. In 2013, the Yilan County Government transformed the abandoned old dormitory area of the former railway bureau into a themed square showcasing the works of author and illustrator Jimmy Liao. Through vivid installations, characters and scenes from "When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep" and "Starry Starry Night" come to life before your eyes. In February 2015, right across from Jimmy Square, the colorful Fairy Tale Park themed around the torn paintings of Mr. Huang Chunming was created.

Every visitor who steps out of Yilan Railway Station is melted by the heart of this smiling giraffe with its long neck stretched out. The playful giraffe, who seems to have run out from Jimmy Liao’s "Giraffes Can’t Dance", welcomes you and me to embrace the beauty of Yilan together.

If you’re visiting Yilan for the first time or aren’t very familiar with the area, be sure to check out the Yilan Tourism Service Center on the left side of the train station—it’s a treasure trove.

Although I often return to Yilan and usually drive past Jimmy Square (or Jimmy Park), I’ve never felt inclined to stop and take photos because there are always so many tourists, making the atmosphere feel crowded. Jimmy Square opened to the public in 2013, and it’s been two years now. I often see beautiful photos and great articles shared by friends on blogs.

Two years late, I finally stepped into Jimmy Square. When I left my home in Jiaoxi and hit the road at a little after seven in the morning, the sky was still drizzling from the rain that hadn’t quite stopped the night before—but I was actually happy about that, because it meant there wouldn’t be too many visitors, allowing me to quietly appreciate Jimmy Square. The heavens were really looking out for Little White Whale too. After I parked the car by the roadside, the rain stopped, and the sun even came out to greet me with a smile.

Even on a holiday, the boy and girl from "Starry Starry Night" are still waiting under the bus stop—waiting for the school bus, or just used to keeping each other company?

Do you prefer Jimmy Liao’s original "When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep", or the version portrayed by Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung?

In real life, do we also miss something or hope for something, just like the "Mr. Left" and "Ms. Right"?

Every time I admire"The Smile Fish"animation, I wish I could follow that man who shed all his clothes and swim freely in the ocean.

When I saw this wall filled with whales and dolphins, I couldn’t help but get excited. The early-rising sun also joined in the fun, casting some lovely light and shadows.

Jimmy Square is open all day for visits, but only in the quiet morning hours can you play fun light-and-shadow games with the sun.

The suitcases scattered around spark the performing fantasies of both kids and adults, and the creative photo opportunities are truly amusing.

I decided not to take a selfie with the suitcase on the ground and instead looked up at the reindeer soaring into the blue sky, wishing they’d take me flying and traveling with them.

I may not have a paintbrush, but I can use Canon EOS M3 ’s creative filter mode to play around with a bold oil painting effect.

I don’t know where the bus driver is taking the bus, but I’m fascinated by this surreal scene blending reality and fantasy before my eyes.

I don’t know where the boy and girl from "Starry Starry Night" want to escape to, but the blue sky and green leaves outside the bus window are cheering them on.

I enjoy quietly observing and taking photos on my own, but I also love feeling the happiness of a group of indigenous friends as they cheerfully take group photos together.

Going out alone early in the morning, a solo light trip—loneliness shows up, and so does the journey of self-discovery.

I’ve always believed that when people meet at a certain time and place, it’s destined fate—you can’t force it, nor can you avoid it.

Some people live their whole lives without ever meeting, while others always seem to bump into each other around the corner of a street? Past life? This life? Next life?

The starting point of every stage of growth is also the ending point of the previous one. Since we can’t turn back time, let’s move forward together.

To be honest, the reason I specifically came to Yilan Railway Station wasn’t for Jimmy Square, but for this unassuming Fairy Tale Park.

Many tourists only know to come here for photos at Jimmy Square, but they might not realize there’s this Fairy Tale Park right across from it.

If you love Jimmy Liao’s works, do you know he’s from Yilan? Have you ever read the creations of fellow Yilan-native Mr. Huang Chunming?

In 2015, the Yilan County Government selected two of Huang Chunming’s fairy tales, *I Am a Cat Too* and *The Short-Trunked Elephant*, to create the Yilan Fairy Tale Park.

*I Am a Cat Too* explores the journey of a little black cat as it seeks its identity, prompting reflection on how environmental changes impact the survival of living beings.

Who says an elephant’s trunk has to be long? Who says a guy has to be tall, rich, and handsome? *The Short-Trunked Elephant* teaches us to be ourselves.

Following the titles of the works, the park’s pathways are named “Cat Path” and “Elephant Trail,” winding and twisting like a maze waiting to be explored for hidden treasures.

There are no vivid three-dimensional sculptures for photos, only about twenty paintings hung on the low walls of the remaining old Taiwan Railways dormitories.

Without refined or ornate artwork, these simple yet playful collage-style drawings help rediscover a long-lost sense of childlike wonder and imagination.

With fewer visitors, Yilan Fairy Tale Park allows those who come by chance to quietly explore and ponder its treasures.

At “Ding Ding Dang Forest” on a holiday morning at eight, the sky is clear, the noise of tourists is gone—this is the Yilan of my childhood memories.

By night, “Ding Ding Dang Forest” may lack a blue sky backdrop, but it gains an air of mystery that makes you even more curious to uncover its secrets.

In August 2015, Typhoon Soudelor toppled the Jimmy Liao Starry Sky Train in “Ding Ding Dang Forest,” forcing its removal for repairs.

After three months of meticulous restoration, on November 9, 2015, it finally “returned home” to continue taking us on adventures through “Ding Ding Dang Forest.”

A vintage train engine pulls five carriages, stretching 30 meters in total and weighing around 3,000 kilograms, with many additional ropes added this time for stability.

Some say the dense web of ropes detracts from the original beauty, but they in no way diminish the irresistible charm of the Jimmy Liao Starry Sky Train.

In the past, I loved writing postcards to capture travel emotions; now, I use my blog to share the joy of light travel—through photos and words—for my future self.

Yilan Tourism Service Center
Address: No. 252, Section 1, Yixing Road, Yilan City　
Phone: (03) 931-2152　
Hours: 09:00–20:00

A beluga whale who loves sharing, photography, and travel
Happy learning in photography lets me see the world from new perspectives; enjoying good food brings ordinary happiness and helps me savor the world.

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