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Wei Jun Proposes Renaming Zhongzheng Park to Zhongli Central Park to Highlight Cultural Significance

Wei Jun Proposes Renaming Zhongzheng Park to Zhongli Central Park to Highlight Cultural Significance

The Taoyuan City Government has invested over 1 billion TWD in the construction of the "Zhongli District Zhongzheng Park Underground Parking Lot and Activity Center," which is set to be completed in April this year. DPP Taoyuan City Council member Wei Jun has urged the city government to recognize the connection between place names and historical memory by renaming "Zhongzheng Park" to "Zhongli Central Park," emphasizing its geographical position and removing authoritarian symbols.

Wei pointed out that Taoyuan has multiple Zhongzheng Parks, such as in Daxi and Guishan, which can lead to confusion due to the overuse of the name. He argued that the name Zhongli Zhongzheng Park has little relevance to the local area and lacks memory points. Additionally, the park was originally named Central Park and was renamed Zhongzheng Park nearly half a century ago, with the current signage located near the road established during the previous mayor Zhang Changcai's tenure before Taoyuan was upgraded.

The Zhongli Zhongzheng Park is currently undergoing renovations for the underground parking lot, and a name change at this stage would not incur administrative costs. Wei suggested following the example of New York's Central Park and renaming it to Zhongli Central Park, which would have cultural significance and help build local identity. He hopes the city government will follow legal procedures and communicate fully with the community before promoting the name change. In response, Taoyuan Mayor Zhang Shanzheng stated that any name change requires a high level of consensus among the public and that the city government will not rush into changes without sufficient consensus from various sectors. Local community leader Yang Wanpei mentioned that there is already a Central Park in front of Zhongli Train Station, raising concerns about potential naming conflicts.