Envision a Hospital

To root out poverty in Eastern Taiwan, Master Cheng Yen, in a Tzu Chi commissioner gathering on May 10, 1979, first shared her vision of introducing modern medicine and health care to Hualien. Having virtually no fund and limited resources, she travelled across Taiwan in frail health to share her ideals and raise money. The challenges and agony in the process were beyond words. However, Master Cheng Yen's endeavor and compassion had inspired the general public, and that inspiration slowly aggregated into a everflowing stream of love.

As fundraising continued, the Foundation inspected seven potential locations for the hospital, yet none of them met the ideal requirements. From Oct. 1980 to April 1982, Lin Yang-Kang, the chairperson of Taiwanese Provincial Government at the time, de-cided to intervene. With his support, a riverside reclaimed land at the end of Zhongshan Rd., Hualien City was designated for the hospital. Overjoyed by the news, the Tzu Chi Commissioners and members voluntarily took saws and hatchets, drove bulldozers and excavators to grade the land.

In early 1981, a Japanese entrepreneur offered a generous donation of 200 million USD towards the hospital, but was politely declined by Master Cheng Yen. The hospital built to serve underprivileged Taiwanese, Master Cheng Yen believed, should be build by the inspired love of Taiwanese people. Therefore, in spite of obstacles and setbacks, she encouraged her disciples to continue to raise funds toward the first modernized general hospital in Hualien-Taitung region.

As fundraising and preparation continued, the Foundation began looking for ideal ar-chitect and design from the public. After elaborate conversations with several applicants and browsing their portfolios, Master Cheng Yen designated Hsu Chang-Chi as the chief architect for the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony for Tzu Chi General Hospital was held On Feb. 5, 1983. At the time, the total money raised were 30,000,000 TWD, approximately 1/20 of the estimated budget.