Bringing back film's golden age

This article was written by Chen Ting and published by the Taiwan Journal on December 9, 2005. It features Taipei City's Wuchang Street, which was once witness to the boom of Taiwan's film industry but had faded away in recent years. Now, a local theater owner and film buff has decided to start a renaissance for the neighborhood around Wuchang Street. Tsai Cheng-hong has spent US$1.5 million and seven years of his life to give his 40-year-old theater - and therefore the neighborhood - a facelift.

Wuchang Street is located in Taipei City's Hsimending area. For years, Hsimending has been the hip entertainment and shopping area that is for Taipei what Ginza is for Tokyo. It is particularly important to Taiwan's cinematic history, as it is where the Japanese built Taiwan's first movie theater in 1897, in the beginning of their 50-year colonial occupation of the island.

There was a time when going to the movies meant going to Hsimending. By the 1920s, the area had become so popular and busy that it was sometimes referred to as the "little Paris of the East". After Taiwan was returned to the government of the Republic of China, the area continued to be a hot spot in Taipei. Indeed, during its golden age of the 1960s, the area boasted 40 movie theaters and numerous dance clubs, cafes and foreign retail stores. However, in the early 1990s, Hsimending began to fade away as Western theater chains began to appear throughout Taiwan.

The Taipei City Government launched several important projects to revive Hsimending. By 1998, some of the area's old charm began seeping back.

This article details how Tsai's theater stands out as Hsimending gradually returns to its former glory. Having grown up in Hsimending and experienced first-hand the area's changing fortunes throughout the years, Tsai has developed a sense of mission to contribute to the reviving of his neighborhood. His theater, In 89 Digital Cinema, puts a premium on accessibility and safety for the disabled and the children. The theater also holds seminars for movie lovers and aspiring producers, given by famed filmmakers. Once again, Hsimending is attracting young people, thanks to Tsai and his well-planned activities.