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舊鐵橋濕地教育園區電子報 |
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An Old Railroad Bridge in My Hometown |
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The Old Railroad Bridge between Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties is just in my neighborhood. Since I was a child, the bridge was the logo of our hometown-Dashu township. | | |
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About ten years ago, the surroundings around the old bridge were in a mess. Weeds, trash and stray dogs could be seen everywhere you went. We used to call the old bridge as the “ghost bridge”. Parents would not let their children go to the bridge because it was gloomy and dangerous. Not only the environment there was dirty but also the bridge was too old to walk on. Rusty rails and truss made the “ghost bridge” more scary. To be a neighbor of the old bridge, I wasn’t proud of it at all and I would never take my friend to the bridge for fun either. But things change since a group of people who are so optimistic that they believe that they can transform the “ghost bridge” into a paradise. | | |
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No pains no gains. The Old Bridge Association was established to preserve the old railroad bridge and the environment. They work so hard that they almost devote their free time to mow the lawn and clean up the area. They volunteer to do so, not for any money and fame at all, just because the bridge is part of their memory and hometown. Not only to pick up the trash and to mow the lawn the Old Bridge Association decorated the Old Bridge Educational Wetland Zone with their imagination and originality. They built several replicas of popular destinations in Dashu township, i.e. Big Tree town in Chinese, and they also established a restaurant for the visitors to dine and take a rest. The amateur zoologists and botanists also help to maintain the ecological zone and guide the visitors as well as residents to be more familiar with the Old Bridge ecological environment. Most of the people in town now holds together to make their landscape logo, the Old Bridge, famous and balmy. | | |
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Nowadays, the Old Bridge Educational Wetland Zone has become a recreational scenic spot for the visitors and residents. People who visit the Big Tree town will never miss the Old Bridge marsh park and residents always spend their free time to exercising, jogging, and biking in the park. The Old Bridge are revitalized and revived because of the volunteers’ effort. | | |
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The date to construct the bridge may be so far away, but the reminiscences of old bridge are still deep in the bottom of our hearts. It was not only a bridge between Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties but also a bridge connects my hometown and me. | | |
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