This year’s theme, “Holding the land, returning to our roots,” reflects the community’s efforts to rebuild after the 2009 disaster while reconnecting with Taivoan traditions. Organizers say the event will include reenactments of traditional rituals, an environmental theater performance based on residents’ own life stories, concerts, and a local market.

The site, spanning 45 hectares at the intersection of Sanmin (三民) and Renwu (仁武) districts, underwent a NT$200 million conversion process beginning in 2016. The Liberty Times reports that this project involved the relocation of approximately 70,000 graves. While the park officially opened in 2018, initial public engagement remained low due to lingering cultural stigmas and an entrance route that required passing the city’s primary funeral parlor.

Chen said Guanyinshan is one of Dashu’s major natural and recreational areas. The city has budgeted about NT$30 million for environmental improvements and facility upgrades in the area, including trail maintenance, public facility repairs, improvements to nearby spaces, and stronger safety measures.

Liu described the conviction as a “critical life lesson” that taught him humility and a deeper understanding of responsibility. He further urged the public to judge his value not just by a “mistake from many years ago,” but by how he rose from that fall and the contributions he is making to society today.