Located in Wufeng District, Taichung City, the National Museum of Natural Science 921 Earthquake Education Park is a venue full of educational significance and profound historical depth. The park was established on the site of Guangfu Junior High School, which was severely damaged in the strong earthquake on September 21, 1999 that changed the memories of many people. It completely preserves the precious relics of the fault surface displacement, the raised playground, and the collapsed school buildings caused by the earthquake that year. This park is not only a profound record of historical events, but also an important base for promoting earthquake science education and disaster prevention knowledge.
921 Earthquake Education Park Admission Ticket Information:
Full Ticket: NT$50 per person, applicable to general visitors.
Discounted Ticket: NT$30 per person, applicable to groups of 20 or more, or students aged 12 and above with proof of identity.
Senior Ticket: NT$25 per person, applicable to seniors aged 65 and above (purchase with ID on holidays).
Child Ticket: NT$25 per person, applicable to children aged 6 and above but under 12.
Free Ticket: The following visitors may enter free of charge with relevant proof of identity. Children under 6 years old, seniors aged 65 and above (weekdays only), holders of disability certificates and one necessary companion, volunteers holding the Volunteer Service Honor Card, and visitors holding the Dinosaur Card.
The 921 Earthquake Education Park is overall planned into five major themed exhibition halls, namely the Chelungpu Fault Preservation Hall, Earthquake Engineering Education Hall, Image Hall, Disaster Prevention Education Hall, and Reconstruction Record Hall. Each exhibition hall carries different educational functions and stories, guiding visitors to understand the causes, impacts, and responses to earthquakes from multiple perspectives.
To help visitors gain a more comprehensive understanding of the park, after purchasing tickets, visitors can first watch films in a dedicated theater. The theater screens three short films in rotation, including “Introduction to the 921 Earthquake Education Park,” “921 Earthquake Image Records,” and “Introduction to the See. Caplin Foundation,” with a total duration of about 13 minutes, providing introductory background knowledge for the visit.
In addition, to deepen the experience, the park also provides scheduled guided tour services. Tour times are 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, and 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM daily. Visitors must register on-site in advance. Each tour lasts about 30 minutes and is led by a guide to explore the historical and scientific significance of the park in depth. (If information changes, please refer to on-site announcements.)
The Chelungpu Fault Preservation Hall features a unique curved architectural design that elegantly spans the fault relics caused by the earthquake that year. The hall authentically presents the surface displacement traces left by the earthquake, such as the river embankment raised by about 2.5 meters, the raised slope of the playground, and the well-preserved fault cross-section. These are the most authentic and precious living teaching materials in natural science.
Through the real scenes of the fault cross-section and raised terrain, the Chelungpu Fault that triggered this century-strong earthquake is clearly displayed. This north-south trending reverse fault caused surface ruptures stretching about 100 kilometers at the time, with significant vertical displacement in some areas. The former campus of Guangfu Junior High School was crossed by the fault, causing the playground track to rise, becoming an important geological research site.
Through the cross-section of the fault trench, S-shaped sand layer structures can be seen, indicating multiple past displacements that pushed the Jinshui Shale upward; this helps scientists study the history of fault activity, assess future earthquake risks, and assist in disaster prevention preparations.
The hall also uses models to demonstrate plate tectonics theory, explaining how lithospheric plate movements shape the Earth’s landforms, and uses Taiwan as an example to explain its geological background at the collision zone between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate, and how this activity shaped the towering Central Mountain Range.
The Earthquake Engineering Education Hall is divided into the “Exhibition Hall” and the “Outdoor Damaged Classroom Exhibition Area.”
The “Outdoor Damaged Classroom Exhibition Area” completely preserves the original appearance of the classrooms at Guangfu Junior High School after the earthquake as a historical witness. To reinforce the relics, the park uses transparent acrylic columns to support damaged or partially collapsed reinforced concrete columns, ensuring that the earthquake relics will not further deform or collapse, fully presenting the tragic scene at the time of the earthquake. The mottled traces on the walls of these classrooms silently tell the power of the earthquake that year.
The “Exhibition Hall” was planned by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering and mainly introduces building isolation and damping technologies and public safety issues.
The Image Hall presents the memory of the 921 Great Earthquake from a humanistic perspective through historical photos, audiovisual materials, and records of disaster relief and reconstruction efforts from all sectors after the disaster.
The “Earth Theater” set up in the Image Hall screens films daily from 09:30 to 16:00 (please refer to on-site announcements for specific content and showtimes).
The “Earthquake Experience Theater” in the Image Hall uses a six-axis motion platform combined with films to simulate 5-6 magnitude earthquakes and the 921 Great Earthquake scenes. Through surround projection technology, it creates an immersive disaster scene atmosphere. For safety, people with heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy, spinal injuries, and pregnant women are not recommended to participate in the experience.
Earthquake Experience Theater requires an additional ticket purchase
The “Reconstruction Record Hall” in the 921 Earthquake Education Park is free to visit, with the core theme “From Transformation to Progress.” The exhibition hall has rich content, recording the efforts and fruitful achievements made by the government and civil organizations in post-disaster relief and reconstruction work after the 921 Great Earthquake, demonstrating the hopeful power of rebirth after the disaster.
In summary, the 921 Earthquake Education Park is a learning venue that combines education with entertainment, depth, and breadth, allowing every visitor to gain a profound understanding of this history while learning valuable earthquake science knowledge and disaster prevention response capabilities.
921 Earthquake Education Park
No. 192, Xinsheng Road, Kengkou Village, Wufeng District, Taichung City (Map)