97 Year Old Single Handedly Saves His Taiwanese Village With Murals

Huang Yung-fu is the 97 year old retired war vet responsible for transforming his Taiwan village into “The Rainbow Village” that now attracts hundreds of visitors. Before the village became a popular tourist destination, the area had become pretty run down, and the Taiwanese government was threatening to demolish this little town. The area used to house over 1,200 families – but as more and more people moved away in search of better living conditions, Huang became the only person left in town. The government issued several statements threatening to tear down the remaining buildings, and Huang was heartbroken over the idea of losing his heritage. That’s when he decided to pick up a paintbrush and start painting. He decorated the walls of the abandoned buildings and house until it caught the eye of local university students, who all rallied behind “The Rainbow Grandpa” and demanded that the buildings be preserved. Thanks to the students’ campaign, the town was protected – and Huang has happily continued to cover his community in color ever since..To this day, he wakes up as early as 3AM so he can spend hours adding more detail onto his breathtaking murals.