我對國父紀念館的印象，就是它是一座有歷史意義的開放式中式庭園，占地很大，幾乎是每年台北市的元宵節燈會的展示場地，和每年觀看跨年煙火時的好地點，對於這棟建築物所要傳達出來的意義，倒是沒太多的想法，因為該地附近的大巨蛋及松山文創園區的熱門程度，比國父紀念館高太多了，很多人對於國父紀念館的認知，好像也是只有老人及觀光客會出沒的地方，後來我才知道，這裡有個新名稱，叫做中山文化園區。
某個週末路過國父紀念館時，遠遠地看到有一群人聚集，在好奇心驅使下，前去查看，原來是個公益愛心的義賣會，好像活動主體是某家很大的金融機構，它們號召員工們把家中不用的物品捐贈出來義賣，而每個攤位好像是以該金融機構轄下的單位為主，總之，當我到達時，看到很多民眾搶成一團，因為拿出來義賣的物品，外觀不錯，最重要的是價錢很便宜，我看中的一個定時器只要二十元台幣，有點半賣半相送，我認為全新品的話要二百多台幣。
可能大家會好奇，我有沒有買很多東西，其實並沒有，因為很多物品都是些紀念杯、紀念碗或紀念袋之類物品，這樣的東西，好像我家也一堆，不過，我聽某個攤位的志工說，也有人把二手名牌貨拿出來做義賣，總之，物品很多，但是要花時間挑，不過，假如是好貨的話，其實攤位上的志工會留給認識的朋友。
現場還有一些表演活動，活動的主角是一些小朋友，我猜他們大概是小學的年紀，他們將在這個舞台上展現他們的才藝，總共好像有十多組表演團體，我在台下，看著小朋友隨著音樂節奏扭腰擺臀，台下的親友們專心地捕捉每一個畫面，對於這些小小表演者而言，日後應該是一個珍貴的回憶吧。
My impression of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is that it’s a historically significant, open, Chinese-style garden with a huge area. It’s almost always the main venue for Taipei’s Lantern Festival during the Lunar New Year and a great spot for watching New Year’s Eve fireworks. As for the meaning behind the building itself, I’ve never really thought much about it. That’s probably because the nearby Taipei Dome and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park are much more popular. Honestly, most people seem to associate the memorial hall with a place where only elderly folks or tourists hang out. Later on, I found out it has a new name: Zhongshan Cultural and Creative Park.
One weekend, while walking past the memorial hall, I noticed a crowd of people gathered in the distance. Curiosity got the better of me, so I went to check it out. It turned out to be a charity bazaar organized by a major financial institution. Apparently, they encouraged their employees to donate items they no longer needed for the sale, and each booth represented a different branch or department within the company. When I arrived, I saw people scrambling to grab things because the items for sale were in pretty good condition and, more importantly, super cheap. For example, I spotted a timer that was only 20 NT dollars—it was practically a giveaway! A brand-new one would probably cost over 200 NT dollars.
You might be wondering if I bought a lot of stuff. Actually, I didn’t, since most of the items were things like souvenir mugs, bowls, or tote bags. I already have plenty of those at home. But I overheard a volunteer at one of the booths mention that some people had even donated second-hand designer goods for the sale. There were tons of items to choose from, but you really needed to take the time to sort through them. That said, if there were any really good deals, the volunteers would likely set them aside for their friends.
There were also some performances happening at the event. The performers were mostly kids—I’d guess they were elementary school age. They were showcasing their talents on stage, and there were about ten or so groups in total. I stood in the audience, watching the kids dance and move to the beat of the music, while their family and friends focused intently on capturing every moment. For these little performers, I imagine this experience will become a cherished memory in the future.
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