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Will to Honor
President Chang arrived at the office in a hurry, put down her large bag on her shoulder, and immediately began to take pictures. She was always dissatisfied with her newly shortened hair, yelling that it would be better if she could take photos with longer hair. After carefully selecting a few photos, she couldn't seem to find anything she was completely satisfied with, so she finally put her hair down and said, “Let's do it this way for now! If I take a few more, I won't be able to find any photos I like! She smiles her signature bright smile, which extends to the corners of her eyes.
Since she was a child, she has been a poster child in the eyes of her elders. She is positive, cheerful, optimistic, and seems to have an unceasing supply of vitality. She has received perfect attendance for six years in elementary school, has participated in many out-of-school activities such as hiking teams and summer camps, and led the Ming Chuan Swimming Team to a first-place finish when she was sick. Reflecting on her school years, Lily admits that she is a bit of a “risk taker”, and that she will do her best for the sake of honor and commitment to her peers. “No matter how tired or busy I am, I will definitely hang in there because that's what I have to do,” she says. As a member of the R.O.C. Lifesaving Association, both as an athlete and an instructor, the words “Drown in the water, drown in the water,” as sworn to by the water lifesavers, have become the beliefs engraved deep in her soul. With 29 years of experience in the construction industry, Lily Chang has always insisted on her responsibility to life, and with her delicate sensibility, she has put herself in the position of thinking for the residents, and has devoted herself to community service and various public welfare activities, carving out a “home of love” exclusively for Treasure Dragon.
original intention : 「The taste of happiness」for residents.
Treasure Dragon's architectural works are highly recognized by the industry and have won numerous awards over the years, however, Lily Chang is still most proud of the recognition given by the residents. She shared a story with a smile. One day, a resident had tanned her clothes on the roof of her house and went out to look for her friends, when it suddenly started to rain heavily, she was worried that her clothes would get wet, but in the end, she went back and found that her clothes had been collected by her neighbor and folded neatly, and she hugged her clothes and said, “I smell the happy smell of sunshine”. In order to maintain this sense of “happiness” from the sun, Lily Chang planned a partial roof covering for the subsequent project, so that the sunbathing area could be sheltered from rainy days, which not only perfected the function of the house, but also brought the residents a little bit of happiness in their ordinary lives.
“We care about people,” says Lily Chang with a smile. Having studied business management and interior design in the United States, Lily Chang has her own requirements for the atmosphere and color science of a space, and she pays more attention to the needs of the space than to the hardware structure. “In the past, very few people talked about homes; all they talked about was houses. A house and a home are not the same. A house is an object and a home is a space.” When Treasure Dragon launched Jhong-Gang Gendii in 1993, she already started to think about the overall design in terms of spatial scales, such as the movement lines of the kitchen and the laundry space on the balcony, which are all designed with “people” in mind, to meet the needs of the residents from the perspective of their daily lives.
Similar to her own philosophy, Lily Chang brings up Austrian architect Hans Holland's observation that every architect uses the same building materials, just like a chef, even if the ingredients are the same, they will create a very different dish according to each person's different taste and experience. Architects see their works as sculptures on the earth, and therefore pay special attention to the external art of architecture, but in the end, architecture still has to be used by “human beings” in order to have its full meaning. “Architecture is only the basis of art, which must be completed by the actual actions of people.” The light and shadows from the sun, the lights from the windows at night, the surrounding environment and the neighborhood, buildings are in a state of flux every second, and people's living patterns determine the form of art that emerges from them. For Lily Chang, the essence of “cuisine” served by Longbao is not only the color and flavor, but more importantly, it is the heartfelt consideration for the user.
Neighborhood Harmony and Healthy Environment
Starting from the perspective of “human being” and expanding to the surrounding environment and neighbors, Lung Po's caring has made Treasure Dragon keep on innovating. Since 1995, Treasure Dragon has been using “Green Fence” in construction sites, which is different from the previous impression of alienation and rigidity given by iron sheets, and the green plantings surrounding the fences in construction sites have created a unique trend in Taiwan construction sites. “Including green fences, green roofs, and sidewalk plantings, we hope that Treasure Dragon can make the neighbors feel that this is a friendly space that respects the environment and the local residents.”
With her charming Libra personality, Lily treats her clients like friends and family, caring about their daily lives, who has a child in music school, which neighbor likes to travel, and any new events in the community, she knows them all. “Other construction companies like to be big, but I'm not like them. I keep my business small, so I want to know every customer. In order to unite the centripetal force of the residents and create a platform for them to communicate with each other, Treasure Dragon regularly organizes Gendii concerts, concerts, painting exhibitions and other activities every year for more than 20 years. “In this community and that community, we all have interactions, and that kind of emotion is accumulated every year. ...... Some of the customers' children were still small and liked to pull me to call out: 'Auntie Lily ! Now they have grown up ! Talking about the deep friendship between herself and the residents, Lily revealed a warm smile.
 100% Responsible
Putting residents first, Treasure Dragon has made a name for itself in Taichung with its recognized construction quality and after-sales service. With the trust of customers and word-of-mouth, Treasure Dragon has repeatedly achieved excellent sales results even in the midst of the housing market downturn. The phrase “construction can be imitated, but quality cannot be duplicated” is Lily Chang's deepest requirement for Treasure Dragon Corp.
“In the past, Treasure Dragon's motto was to pursue perfection, but then I went to the Bodhisattva Temple in Taichung, and I saw a verse posted on the wall: “Completeness is not perfection”, and I suddenly realized this truth. No matter how much we demand, confirm, and control quality, there is still room for improvement. I can't be 100% perfect, but I have to be 100% responsible,” she said. After the 921 Earthquake, Lily Chang was the first to dispatch her staff to the Gendii community to help residents organize their homes, assess the damage, and take care of the subsequent repairs and remediation. This sense of responsibility carried over to the countless design, construction and re-planning projects that followed, and she always preferred to lose money rather than betray the trust of the residents. “I'm often advised by my clients, 'President Chang, you don't have to do this, we want your company to survive,'” she says jokingly. Is it worth it to work so hard every day to fulfill her beliefs and always try to move forward to a better path? I think it's not hard to find the answer in her still determined eyes and cheerful smile.
Combining local architecture with art to cultivate a sense of beauty through life
What she saw and heard while living in the U.S. laid the foundation for Lily Chang's passion for art, and with the founding of Treasure Dragon, Galerie Pierre Art Center began to organize domestic and international exhibitions to promote the works of local and international artists.When it comes to beauty education in Taiwan, Lily Chang believes that in addition to encouraging creativity, it is important to cultivate the public's sense of beauty and appreciation. With this in mind, she tries to incorporate artworks into architectural spaces, and even seeks out artists to create customized architectural facades and spaces that incorporate local art.
Last year's winner of the first prize of World Prix d'Excellence Awards Sunny Happiness Gendii, with the aspiration of “housing in the park”, preserves the old trees on the site and blends them with the surrounding greenery to create a semi-circular tree-hole space like an ants' nest, and collaborates with artist Wang Zhonglong to make street furniture from gravel excavated from the site's development, so that the residents and pedestrians can rest comfortably in the community, which is filled with vitality. The space is full of life.“I hope that art is not just a decoration, but a part of the building, so that the residents can learn from the experience, and one day when they think back to the streets and scenes of their childhood, a lot of beautiful things will emerge in their mind. From interior lighting, space arrangement, color design to outdoor gardens and streets, every aspect of the building is a dream base for his aesthetic thinking.
Next Generation Industry Trends: Craftsmanship and Technology in Building Materials
When it comes to architectural design and actual construction, Lily Chang is concerned that many old-generation Taiwanese masonry and carpentry craftsmen may face a succession gap in future talent despite their high quality craftsmanship. In order to preserve these handcrafted techniques, Lily Chang has been promoting whole-person education since 2015, combining vocational education and industry practice to cultivate skilled clay and woodworkers, changing the previous impression of “doing soil and water” and shaping a new generation of “skilled professionals” through professional teaching and on-site work. On the other hand, in the absence of labor, if a large number of glass or pre-cast wall panels can be used, and the quality of the materials can be maintained by automated control, the production time and cost can be greatly reduced. “The shift from high-density human construction to an assembly type of industrial production, firstly, to pass on high quality hand workmanship, and secondly, to industrialize the modular manufacturing of building materials to reduce manufacturing costs through mass production, is something that I greatly expect from the future construction industry.”
Young and Smart City
In recent years, there have been frequent rumors of pressure reduction in the capital city, and many government officials are hoping to transfer their administrative offices to Taichung. With Taichung's favorable geography, pleasant climate, well-developed transportation, and booming industries, many northern builders are optimistic about its future development and have been investing in Taichung's construction market. Lily Chang believes that this has had a positive impact on Taichung's architectural design, such as the Fubon Sky Tree, which is collaborating with internationally renowned architects with innovative ideas and contemporary artistic aesthetics, bringing a unique architectural look to Taichung. She pointed out that the Taichung architectural industry must respond to new perspectives and challenges from the outside. On the other hand, the valuable experience of local builders who have operated for many years has enabled them to better meet the needs of residents and improve the culture of the community, which is something builders in the northern part of the country still need to work on. “As a matter of fact, the construction industry in Taichung has always held the concept of 'industry for the better', learning from each other's strengths and filling in the gaps, never sticking to outdated concepts, but rather working together to create a better future. Lily Chang has full confidence in the construction market in Taichung.
New Future :「Affordanle House」
In 2017, Lily Chang took over the presidency of the Board of Directors of the World Real Estate Federation Development and Investors, attending various international conferences and architectural forums. After learning from the experiences of many countries and conducting field trips, she injected new concepts into Taiwan's affordable house issue, proposing a rethinking of the “housing mentality” as well as the possibilities of joint-venture development programs.
Years of rapid economic development, coupled with high-density real estate development, Taiwan's collection of residential development into a diversified, builders must be more distinctive features to attract consumers, and the introduction of opulent architectural design, emphasizing a more diverse range of living functions, as well as a rich public facilities planning. Lily Chang points out that to solve Taiwan's housing problem, the first step is to change the way people think about “housing”. “This is not to regress the quality of life, but to find out the most fundamental elements of life that make you satisfied and happy - a shelter from the wind and rain, good quality of living, and to find the most basic requirements of a home.” Only by changing the mentality towards housing can re-create the scale of human life. “Dwelling” represents a comfortable resting space. As long as there is a good quality and guaranteed dwelling, transferring the cost of large public facilities to the government, including sports centers, parks, libraries, etc., and planning for perfect outdoor public facilities, so that consumers can buy purely private space, the price of housing can be naturally lowered.
On the other hand, Lily Chang also believes that the government's planning for social housing should be reintroduced into a new development model, in which the government provides land or sells it to a construction company at a more favorable price, so that an experienced construction company can coordinate the planning and bear the risk of development.
Seeing the best in people with the best eyes
There is a line in Wong Kar-wai's movie “The Grandmaster”: “My father used to say that there are three stages in martial arts training: seeing oneself, seeing the world, and seeing all living beings”. This is an apt quote for Lily Chang, who was once known as the “architectural heroine”. During the interview, Lily mentioned her husband,
Peter Li, who passed away last year, and admitted that her career and life were not possible without his help. She also did not hide the fact that she shared a few moments with her husband, which were sometimes sad and sometimes happy. “I treat him as if I were going to a farther place to practice, he is my eternal spiritual support”, Lily Chang embraces the softest of hearts and recounts her experiences and reflections since she started practicing medicine - she is like the candle that always burns out the most passionate side of the people she loves, the warmth of her home and the land, and she looks at the best of the world through the best of her eyes.
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