Taipei’s Datong District (大同區) is an area rich in history and tradition, and home to numerous century-old buildings that have now been fixed up and given new roles as cultural-creative centers, adding brightness and luster to the local streetscape. The city has been energetically adopting idle land and works of architecture in recent years, transforming them into what are called Urban Regeneration Stations (URS; 都市再生前進基地), running new and revitalizing cultural currents through old communities. Each are run by a different management, which bring different perspectives and styles that give each URS a unique character. The initiative has brought a fresh supply of creative oxygen to the city, augmenting the cultural atmosphere.
There are now four Urban Regeneration Stations in Datong District. The Design Gallery (URS127; 設計公店) opened last year. In addition to the design gallery itself, the complex is now home to a little theater, architect offices and artist workshops. There are exhibits and activities with design, architecture, and art as theme, and this also serves as a base for creative young designers. Story House (URS44; 大稻埕故事工坊) also opened last year. This site is dedicated to the promotion of the historical resources of the Dadaocheng community. It showcases the traditional businesses of Dihua Street, such as foodstuffs, sundry regional merchandise, medicinal items and fabrics. Cooking Together (URS155; 創作分享圈), which opened in June this year, brings together the regional goods of Dihua Street and the joys of cooking and communal eating. Just recently, on September 29th, the Film Range (URS27W; 城市影像實驗室) opened. This film lab is located on Yanping North Road in an area that was called Taipingding (太平町) in the Japanese era, and is expected to inject a dose of youthful inspiration.
URS155 – Cooking Together
Cooking Together is located on Section 1 of Dihua Street. The original structure was built in the 1850s, and has been home to purveyors of cereals and Chinese medicines for over a century. It is a binary double-entrance, three-floor building in the classical south Fujian architectural style. Additions from various eras can be seen, notably brickwork from the Qing Dynasty, Japanese colonial and early Republican eras. This is a traditional-style townhouse that vividly recounts Dadaocheng’s historical tale. The site was given to the city by a private donor, and today serves as a creative “cooking together” venue with an open-kitchen concept. It’s imbued with the flavor of old-style markets and shops, and specializes in cooking food with that “homemade” taste. Creative use is made of local ingredients, and neighbors often participate in making soup or other delicacies together.
Two special series of activities (with good food as the common thread) are happening in November and December: “Cooking Together Lectures” (分食共好講座) and “Dihua Good Taste Canteen” (迪化好味食堂). In the Dihua Good Taste Canteen, participants explore Dihua Street in depth, purchasing various local foodstuffs. If interested, visit the official URS website for details, and register online or by phone. In addition, the “Urban Sandbank Studio” (都市沙洲工作室) has been set up in the second-entrance area on the first floor; everyone is invited to come sculpt whatever creations they fancy. The second level is a space for cultural-arts exhibits, and each month there are seminars on different topics where creative talents share their concepts with the public.
URS27W – Searching for City Images
Film Range, on Section 2 of Yanping North Road, is the eighth and most recent URS opened to date. It’s a “city imagery lab,” and the hope is that young people will be attracted to the old neighborhood to explore the beauties of the old streets.
As stated above, during the Japanese colonial era the Yanping North Road area was called “Taipingding.” The area stretched south to north from the old North Gate (北門) to Daqiaotou (大橋頭), connecting a busy grid of east-west streets. Today the grid still reflects the economic development of days past, with a dense cluster of tea shops, theaters, department stores, restaurants, and jewelry shops. Here you’ll find the restaurant Dong Hui Fang (東薈芳), which played host to Liang Qichao (梁啟超), a prominent Chinese thinker at the end of the Qing Dynasty and rise of the Republican era. Here you’ll also find the Da Qian Department Store (大千百貨), the first in Taiwan to install an escalator. The area is also home to the Da’an Hospital (大安醫院), where Jiang Weishui (蔣渭水), a major force in Taiwan’s colonial-era democracy movement, practiced medicine. The publishing office of Taiwan Min Bao (臺灣民報; “Taiwan People’s Newspaper”), a key publication during the Japanese era that expressed the views of Taiwan’s people, was here as well.
The URS27W building was built over sixty years ago. It was originally home to a tea shop which witnessed the development, rise, and decline of Yanping North Road. After undergoing renovations, it’s experiencing a new lease of life as the Film Range. The first tranche of activities being hosted includes “Darkroom Glimmer – Documentary Film Festival in an Old House” (暗室微光─老屋裡的紀錄片影展), which runs until December 7th. Documentary films are being shown every Friday and Saturday with “cities and towns” or “design” as a theme. Contents dwell on rural areas, ageless knights called “grandriders on round-island tours,” city-tours, etc. Such an unique series of experiences, watching documentaries on the city/town in an old house brimming with history, is reminiscent of the glow that lights up a darkroom. Viewers will find themselves reflecting on the transformations of the city.
For a taste of the Taipei of yesteryear, visit these attractive old-community Urban Regeneration Stations. They’ll leave you with a deeper appreciation for the creativity and vitality of Taipei’s cultural industry.
