Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

Since the 1980s, Taiwan’s Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village has been educating visitors about the history and customs of the country’s Indigenous tribes. But even more recently the park has branched out into teaching guests about how awesome roller coasters can be.

Originally built in 1986, the culture park stands as Taiwan’s largest outdoor museum, consisting of nine separate village reconstructions and a traditional European garden. Each of the villages was meant to represent a different tribal culture from the area and were created based on ethnographic illustrations from the early 20th century. In addition to the traditional architectural flourishes throughout the park, traditional dances, crafts, and other authentic demonstrations are regularly performed. Notably, all of the performers in the park are Indigenous people. 

The Taiwanese government currently recognizes 16 aboriginal tribes. Years of conflict and colonization have greatly reduced the country’s Indigenous population and culture–out of 26 known Formosan languages, 10 have been declared extinct, while the remaining languages are in danger of disappearing completely.

Lest the exploration of a rich and varied culture that may soon fade from memory in the coming century become a bit stale or boring for younger visitors, a new section of the park was built in 1992, called Amusement Isle. Maintaining the cultural flavor of the more educational portions of the park, the exciting new isle contains a collection of roller coasters and adrenaline engines including Taiwan’s tallest free-fall drop ride.

Whether you are coming to the park to see the blooming of the cherry blossom trees and learn some of the aboriginal weaving techniques, or if you simply want to scream while the wind whips through your hair on the Mayan Adventure Roller Coaster, the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, oddly enough, will not disappoint.