Imagine living in the same small village for over 37 years enjoying your retirement when suddenly the government threatens to demolish your home. If you don’t take any action you might lose everything that ever mattered to you. What do you do? How do you stop the government from ruining everything you love? Well, one grandpa found a genius way to solve this problem, and now people from all around the world want to visit him and his outstanding home.
Huang Yung-Fu, a 96-year-old former soldier used his art to stop the government from demolishing his home
Back in the day, Nantun District, Taichung was a lovely village with over 1,200 homes, most of the residences in the village were former soldiers, who were given temporary housing by the government.
Image credits: xtna_javier
As time went by, most of the soldiers moved away and various developers started buying up the land. But a few people decided not to leave their homes and settled in the Nantun District for good.
Image credits: Steven R. Barringer
Unfortunately, the number of villagers drastically changed and only 11 houses remain in the village.
Image credits: viajaentusofa
Huang Yung-Fu was bored, being only one of a few people living in the village, so he started painting a bird inside his home and eventually brought his work outside by painting the walls with various figures and creatures.
Image credits: seplaire
Huang’s work quickly received a lot of attention, and his village became one of the most visited touristic attractions in Taichung.
Image credits: kylepatri_ck
Not only was it lovely for tourists, but it also became the main reason why the government halted their plans to demolish the remaining houses in the village.
Image credits: allanlau2000
Even though maintaining the painted village requires a lot of energy and hard work, Huang says he will be painting even when he’s 100 years old.
Image credits: Steven Barringer
The village reminds people more of a fairytale than a real-life town and Huang is the lifeblood behind the scenes. He wakes up as early as 3 am to start painting. Tourists love Huang so much, they re-named him ‘Rainbow Grandpa’, which is a suitable name for a man with such a colorful and creative personality.
Tourists love Huang so much, they re-named him ‘Rainbow Grandpa’, which is a suitable name for a man with such a colorful and creative personality.
Image credits: i_am_iroha
One of the most amazing things in all this is that Huang had no previous experience as a painter. When he was 3-years-old his father taught him how to draw, but not professionally.
Image credits: __a.i.k.a_mj21