Great pictures of Bitan, where can I see more?
The Japanese also destroyed a bit of what they found as well when they came, e.g. the West Gate in Taipei.
The Japanese also tore down the Mazu temple where the Museum of Natural History is now and changed many place names as part of their modernization drive.
The story of destruction and building in Taipei is pretty complicated. For example, Kerr says there was a much-loved Taiwanese temple on Yuanshan. The Japanese destroyed it to make room for the main Shinto shrine on the island. (Anyone got photos of that?) Although spared by the American bombers because of a POW camp that was said to be nearby, the shrine was in turn razed by the KMT to put up the Grand Hotel ā one exaggerated emblem of state power thus replacing another.
From what Iāve read, the architectural modernization/westernization of Taipei by the Japanese was more accommodating of Taiwanese history than the KMTās administration of the city was of the Japanese historical presence (sorry about that sentence). The Japanese basically acknowledged the local place names whereas the KMT erased them as part of the sinification effort that brought āZhongzhengā street, etc., as well as such hideous āChineseā kitsch as the Grand Hotel, CKS memorial hall, Guofu memorial hall, Gugong museum, and the other massive concrete projects of the 60s and 70s. I suppose now that that wave has passed people are better able to see it for what it was and maybe even enjoy the kitschiness the Grand Hotel, just as the old machine gun bunkers up on Yangmingshan almost resemble modernist sculpture. The Grand Hotel certainly beats Warner Village anyway. Jesus what an eyesore.
Some photos of Yuanshan area:
I think from around 1935, it shows the hill in the back, but today, it seems much taller.
This maybe the Yuanshan shrine. I can almost remember seeing a photo of it a few years ago, but forgot what it looked like.
Grand Hotel in the 50s when Soong May-ling was in control.
Another shot during the 50s.
70s era photo. very little vegatation, so this photo is probably just after the main building was erected in 73.
American Embassy - now SPOT film house. (formerly Standard Oil Headquarters. George Kerr wrote about this. I made a post last year in the SPOT thread.
Old photo of the New Park
I think a 60s photo of the Mandarin Hotel (looking at the old kiss disco entrance and towards the present day mongolian bbq resturant. Amazing that there are hardly any buildings in the distance.
50s pic of Lunshan Temple. In the background you can see the tallest buidling, the Hilton Hotel near the train station.
Hilton
This is kinda funny. I was hiking around the trails behind the Grand Hotel just the other day and came across a temple that had the usually free books/cassettes ~ this temple even offered 8 track tapes.
Chunghua Rd. Taipei - I remember walking through this building in the late 80s. Cassettes (10 fer $100), electronics, military patches, copy softwareā¦
Nice to know I arrived just as Taipei started to get really ugly. Those photos are fantastic. Surely there must be a big quality collection for sale somewhere. One of those coffee table books. They do them for Shanghai and Hong Kong. About a hundred pounds a pop, thatās NT$6,000 at this morningās exchange rate (and about NT$7,000 and rising by lunchtime, grrr)
There is. Iāve seen a very nice series of coffee-table books on this at the Taipei Book Fair. Theyāre not as expensive as the HK and Shanghai ones ā perhaps NT$1,000 per volume. Iād love to buy them. Unfortunately, however, I havenāt yet figured out a way to get them into the house without my wife noticing that Iād dropped another NT$10,000 on booksā¦ 
Well, if ou could somehow convince her that itās better than dropping double that on KTV hostess hobby, you might be alright. Then again the KTV bills do tend to be seen as a forward investment.
HG
I have a small passion for history and am always digging around for glimpses of the past. I think iāve seen the books that Cranky mentioned (and many other books) - they are just so-so. āTHEā definative collection of old Taipei photos has yet to be produced, imho. I think most Taiwan people are just not interested in this subject.
I found most of these photos on ebay searchs and elsewhere on the net. Iām glad to share with others just for fun/common interest. (no sense in hoarding since I flinched them from the public domain anyway). I have many more photos, but I think itās probably best to make them into a .pdf for download. I just got my website online, so will post a link asap.
Someone should collect these photos and do a āthen and nowā collection after going around to all the places and taking pictures of what they look like now and trying to get the framing, angle and zoom just like the original pictures.
Actually, I offered to do a weekly series of before/after pics for the Taipei Times last year, but they turned me down. Iāve also considered putting together a history book but havenāt got past the just thinking about it stage. If anyone has any interest and wants to work on a project together, you are welcome to PM me. Iāve done a little research and a few ideas already.
Its a shame Taipei does not have this already. I know the city government has a few good books out, like the one on religion, gods and temples, but the before/after history topic has just been ignored. I know in Hong Kong there are many, many interesting books. In Taiwan, just finding a photo of the old taipei train station, the plum mansions, the sea dragon club, the old military bases, etc. is a major effort.
(re)Link to a good Taiwan history exhibition from a few years ago: npm.gov.tw/exhbition/formosa ā¦ /index.htm
cheers!
Anyone here visit the exposition at the CKS reading room on Yang Ming Mountain? I noticed a sign when I was up there a few days ago. I believe it was a photo exhibit and referenced 400 years of Taiwan history.
Iāve read that most of the cameras used in Taiwan 400 years ago were imported by the Dutch although there were a few Nikons and Yashicas traded by Japanese seamen to the Ami for mi jiu. 
[quote=ā4nrā]Chunghua Rd. Taipei - I remember walking through this building in the late 80s. Cassettes (10 fer $100), electronics, military patches, copy softwareā¦
[/quote]
Manā¦thatās a place I really miss. You could get great food there too. Cheap. The whole area there is so sterile now.
Iāve read that most of the cameras used in Taiwan 400 years ago were imported by the Dutch although there were a few Nikons and Yashicas traded by Japanese seamen to the Ami for mi jiu. [/quote]Hahahaā¦I know there were no cameras then, they also include old maps!
[quote=āDoctor Evilā][quote=ā4nrā]Chunghua Rd. Taipei - I remember walking through this building in the late 80s. Cassettes (10 fer $100), electronics, military patches, copy softwareā¦
[/quote]
Manā¦thatās a place I really miss. You could get great food there too. Cheap. The whole area there is so sterile now.[/quote]
yeah i do miss it! sniff sniff.
[quote=āVorkosiganā]Iāve just posted a Nat Geo from 1920 with plenty of old pics.
users2.ev1.net/~turton/natgeo.html[/quote]Vorkosigan -
A very interesting article. I appreciate the chance to read this.
Thanks for posting.
[quote=āVorkosiganā]Iāve just posted a Nat Geo from 1920 with plenty of old pics.
users2.ev1.net/~turton/natgeo.html[/quote]
Wow! Thanks for posting that.
[quote=āDoctor Evilā][quote=ā4nrā]Chunghua Rd. Taipei - I remember walking through this building in the late 80s. Cassettes (10 fer $100), electronics, military patches, copy softwareā¦
[/quote]
Manā¦thatās a place I really miss. You could get great food there too. Cheap. The whole area there is so sterile now.[/quote]
Hell yeah. I was living at the old Namaste Hostel next to the train station before that whole area was ripped up to make room for the MRT. Man I loved that part of Taipei.
Michael