About This Issue
Taiwan is, in many ways, very “Taichung.” Whether it’s a celebratory festival or bubble tea, the first things that come to mind can hardly capture our affection for this land. Only by looking at Taiwan from a global perspective can we see its pivotal position; only by focusing on Taiwan can we recognize Taichung’s importance.
If newspapers and novels connected communities spiritually, the railway connected Taiwan materially. Taichung’s development has been closely tied to the railway. In 1908, the north-south railway lines converged here, and the completion ceremony of the north-south trunk line was held in Taichung, symbolizing the arrival of an era in which Taiwan was unified from north to south by rail. Taichung Station has undergone multiple reconstructions, evolving from an industrial and agricultural transport hub into a landmark building of historical and cultural significance. Today, it also serves as a living stage for the preservation of Taiwan’s railway heritage.
A city’s key buildings often embody its spirit and aspirations. Taichung Hospital, the city’s first medical institution under Japanese rule, already served as the central medical hub of central Taiwan. It not only played a critical role in epidemic prevention but also addressed the medical needs of a broad hinterland—and even recorded the rare case of a man being discovered pregnant during an autopsy. Taichung’s first commercial theatre, with 1,200 seats, embodied the city’s unrealized dreams of performing arts. Its strategic location along north-south routes attracted visiting troupes and welcomed performances of Kabuki, Jōruri, magic shows, and Western music, reflecting the ambition to make Taichung “the Kyoto of Taiwan.”
As a symbol of the transformation from an agricultural town to a modern metropolis, the Central Taiwan Progress Association held a grand event during the transition from Taishō democracy to the Shōwa era. This gathering not only marked Taichung’s emergence as a modern city but also highlighted broader trends in Taiwan’s urban development, offering important guidance for modernization. Residences such as the Lin Tong Mansion were used as special venues for youth groups, while traditional Han houses like the Dajia Huang Mansion and Shen’gang Chen Mansion incorporated Western architectural styles into classical forms. These homes reflected the owners’ wealth and status, their aesthetic sensitivity, and their ambition to align with global trends.
Compared with more extensively researched northern Taiwan, the exploration of Taichung’s art history reveals a detective-like curiosity. Professor Liu Qiyu glimpsed an unknown oil painting, Street in Front of the Station, at an antique market, offering a view of Taichung as a modern urban art space and the competition among the four major art groups. Professor Liu Kexiang led us through time via a little-discussed short poem by the poet Chen Qianwu, revisiting the Baxiang Mountain railway during Japanese rule and recalling the poet’s youthful years alongside vividly detailed slices of the era. The organizer of the Suzuran Evening Stroll recalled two old photographs, using cross-dressing performers as an entry point to explore Taichung’s unique activities that combined joint auctions with parade-like events, such as the summer evening fair.
Taichung is, in essence, very Taiwanese. If one takes the time to sift through its history, the care and effort of generations become evident, like amber trapped within tree rings, continually performing the transformations of different communities and eras. Both Qing and Japanese urban planning and construction in Taichung were often interrupted by broader political circumstances. Today, how do people imagine and expect this land? How will people remember it a hundred years from now? Thoughts, like hands and feet, move through action—reflecting, and then continuing forward.
ISBN 9772518947009 10
