Exhibition commemorating 'shovel heroes' flood recovery effort opens in Hualien

Taipei, June 6 (CNA) An exhibition commemorating the massive volunteer-led recovery effort following last year's devastating floods in Hualien County opened Saturday in Guangfu Township, preserving the memory of one of Taiwan's largest post-disaster cleanup operations.

The permanent exhibition, established through a partnership between Rotary International and state-owned Taiwan Sugar Corp. at the Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory, features tools, photographs and personal items used during the relief effort.

The free-entry exhibition commemorates the aftermath of the Sept. 23, 2025 overflow of a barrier lake on Matai'an Creek, which sent floodwater and mud into Guangfu Township, leaving 19 people dead and five missing.

In the weeks that followed, volunteers made more than 500,000 visits as civilians and NGO workers joined cleanup work, the exhibition's organizers said. Nicknamed "shovel heroes," they helped remove an estimated 400,000 tonnes of mud and debris from the township.

To preserve the history of the recovery effort, the organizers launched a public donation campaign that collected more than 300 shovels, 2,100 photographs and videos, and 97 train tickets used by volunteers traveling to the disaster area.

Curator Kuei Ya-wen (桂雅文) said volunteers donated tools used during the cleanup and shared personal messages describing their experiences, allowing the objects themselves to tell the story of the disaster response.

One volunteer donated a cellphone strap, writing that it was "the object that felt closest to my love for this place during the disaster," a message that Kuei said moved her to tears.

A volunteer surnamed Shih (石), who participated in the cleanup, said the exhibition's displays of rain boots, shovels and photographs brought back vivid memories of the recovery effort.