Paradise Lost

Devastated by a violent typhoon in 2015 the once popular hill-top resort Yunxian Paradise now stands ravaged and all but abandoned. Formerly famed for its’s stunning location, clean air, and cooler climate the park is now a shadow of its former glory - the main hotel building remains open but seems devoid of guests with a solitary member of staff.

First conceived in 1960 the Yunxian Paradise Resort was an ambitious project involving complex engineering to install a cable car to transport visitors from the valley spa town of Wulai up over an 80-metre waterfall. After years of planning and construction Taiwan’s first theme park opened in August 1967. At the height of its popularity it became the destination of choice for honeymooners and affluent families, but despite several re-development programmes by the 1990’s visitors were dwindling with a general trend away from theme parks in favour of foreign holiday destinations. Then, in August 2015 Typhoon Soudelor hit the Wulai district. The area was affected by extensive landslides severing transportation and communication with the rest of Tawain, over 3,000 people were stranded and essential supplies had to be air-dropped in. The damage to the resort by the mudslides was extensive forcing it to close completely for many months.

Today there is evidence of attempted reconstructive work to the resort; the boating lake and parts of the children’s amusement park are functioning to some degree with a skeleton staff overseeing a handful of day-trippers but much of the hotel complex including its villa’s and swimming pool remain derelict. Many of dilapidated buildings look beyond recovery, and there is an odd juxtaposition of immaculately maintained gardens with abandoned buildings and construction equipment slowly being subsumed by the surrounding forest.

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