A couple of months ago I wrote about something I call neglected spaces. This weekend we found a place that isn’t actually neglected but has a lot of the same vibes. It’s a place called 大里溪橋下小人國 which roughly translates to Little People Country Under Dali Creek Bridge. It’s hidden away underneath country route 63, just at the end of the Dali river bridge. Most people will never even know it’s there, passing over it on their way somewhere else, and if they pass by on one of the small roads on the side of the bridge, it’s still unlikely they will notice anything more than a desolate parking lot. It’s only when you take the time to stop and look around that you realize there’s more to this place than just asphalt, concrete pillars and the rumble of trucks overhead.

The main span of the bridge is high enough to park cars under, but there are a couple of areas off to the sides where the bridge structure is so low that they become unusable (at least in the eyes of the government). One man has turned these swathes of would be wasteland into his own little world, full of houses, lakes and trees. He has built it all using a combination of stones (that I guess he found in the area), recycled cans and bottles, steel wire, and old discarded toys. At first it might not look like much, just a few childish looking houses covered in the dust from passing trucks. As you explore further you realize there’s a lot more to it: there are the little touches like flowers growing in old soup cans, the bright splashes of color in the otherwise gray landscape, and strategically placed toy figures that bring life to this little world, but above all it’s the scale. An area roughly 50 meters long and 5 meters wide is completely covered in little dioramas (I think that’s the best word for it), and all of them are unique, with lots creative touches. I think instead of trying to describe this place, it’s better I show you some photos:

I don’t fully know how I would define these little dioramas, are they art installation, a miniature world, or both? No matter how you define it, I think this place is really cool. If you’re interested in the odd places of the world, definitely check out this one.