Exhibit offers look at doing business in an earlier era

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on February 27, 2006. It features a recent exhibition titled "Business from Old Taiwan - The Artist's View", which displays the works of 22 Taiwanese artists as they depict more than 30 businesses from Taiwan's old economy. The exhibition is located at the Taipei Story House.

The exhibition features images of some of the tools, products and services of the businesses that played an important role in Taiwan's economic development in the 1950s and 1960s. They range from pictures of popcorn carts, old dime stores and shoe shiners, to works of art that incorporate the ribs of old umbrellas and paintings of various old businesses.

The Taipei Story House was established three years ago. It is the former Yuanshan Villa, which was constructed in 1913 by a rich tea merchant as a meeting place for high society gentlemen and a recreation spot for members of the owner's family. The building was listed by the Taipei City Government as a Class Three Historical Site in 1998. Since its establishment, the Taipei Story House has been drawing about 100,000 local and international visitors every year.