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Rainbow Military Dependents’ Village in Taichung City, central Taiwan, is one of two local weird and wonderful sights featured in guidebook “Secret Marvels of the World” by Lonely Planet. (Courtesy of TCG)

Two attractions in Taichung City and Yilan County, respectively, are among the 360 weird and wonderful sights featured in recently released “Secret Marvels of the World,” a guidebook for adventurous travelers produced by Australia-based Lonely Planet Publications Pty. Ltd.
 
Rainbow Military Dependents’ Village in Taichung, central Taiwan, makes the book on the strength of its vividly decorated buildings and roads. Constructed by the ROC government following its relocation to Taiwan from mainland China in 1949, the facility had largely emptied of its occupants over the years and fallen prey to decay and neglect.
 
But former ROC army soldier Huang Yong-fu, the village’s sole resident, had other ideas. He set about breathing life into the once-bustling facility by using it as a canvas for his brightly colored paintings employing simplistic, almost childlike styles.
 
These efforts to revivify the village are paying dividends, with large numbers of tourists making a beeline for the facility, according to Lonely Planet.
 
Taichung City Government said Oct. 25 that the village’s inclusion in the book underscores its reputation as a rich and zesty example of urban art highly regarded by visitors from home and abroad, especially those from Japan and the U.K.
 
The village has welcomed 3,000 to 5,000 tourists per day for a total 1 million visits, the local government said, adding that a renovation project completed in June is expected to further boost the facility’s appeal and preserve its unique historic heritage.
 
Equally impressive is Beneficial Microbes Museum in Yilan, northeastern Taiwan. Since its establishment in 2011, BMM has functioned as a tourism factory and raised public awareness of the benefits of microorganisms through a variety of displays and hands-on activities.
 
Published in August, the first edition of the 304-page book includes such attractions as the grassless golf course in Coober Pedy, Australia; catacombs of Paris, France; earthquake-created Lake Kaindy high in the Tian Shan mountains, Kazakhstan; and abandoned, sand-engulfed mining town Kolmanskop in Namibia. (SFC-E)