I found some old brochures for the Xingfu Amusement Park down in Bitan (remember the big ferris wheel you could see from all over Taipei?) in an old abandoned police station, so I thought I’d take my camera and try to get present-day shots of all the pictures in the brochure for comparison. I put the results up on Flickr if you’re interested. If anyone has any other old photos from when the park was operational, I’d love to see them, too.
I’ve been told there are other such picture sites up but I haven’t been able to find them.
That was really cool, lucky you found the brochures!
That could be material for an exhibit maybe put together a show called “Looking For Ghosts in Bitan” or something.
The upsidedown shot was cool too. I also liked the labeling you did with the cupid statue. My Taiwanese artist friend says she loves it too. Did you use a filter for the fountain shot?
Nice shots and interesting to see the before and after. I have been up there once and wondered what it was at first (didn’t take me that long to figure it out though ). Really sad place nowadays.
Thanks much for sharing that, PG… very interesting. My favorite shot was the one of the top of the mountain before and now. Its not Angkor Wat, perhaps, but very interesting, nonetheless.
[quote=“Bubba 2 Guns”]That was really cool, lucky you found the brochures!
That could be material for an exhibit maybe put together a show called “Looking For Ghosts in Bitan” or something.
The upsidedown shot was cool too. I also liked the labeling you did with the cupid statue. My Taiwanese artist friend says she loves it too. Did you use a filter for the fountain shot?
Good idea! :bravo: :bravo:[/quote]
Thanks, everyone. This kind of thing, the whole “before and after” really fascinates me, and the brochures were a real find. I’d like to find a book of photos of old Taipei and give it the same treatment, trying to match location, angle, focal length, etc. as much as possible.
I play around a little in Photoshop, mainly just adjusting color and contrast here and there, but that’s about it.
As for the area, I like it much better the way it is now, almost fully reclaimed by nature. I think I would have hated living next to a crowded, noisy amusement park full of tourists. Its present state is far better, IMHO.
Have you been out to the abandoned amusement park that’s out near Yangmingshan? (At least I think it’s Yangmingshan - I could be wrong). I shot a couple’s wedding photos in the old amusement park, it’s a great location.
I’m not really sure how to get there. For now, I’ll just say that you head out past the National Palace Museum and make a right to head up Yangmingshan. There’s a large tea-house part way up - it’s got a restaurant that looks like a ski-chalet and lots of outdoor seating with a little stream and decent waterfall all decorated with colored lights. The amusement park is just before the tea-house.
Now unless you recognise the tea-house from my bad description, those directions are probably no use at all. So I’ll email the people that took me there for the wedding shoot and get some better directions and the name of the road it’s on.
I’m not really sure how to get there. For now, I’ll just say that you head out past the National Palace Museum and make a right to head up Yangmingshan.[/quote]
Wouldn’t that be left? Coming from Shilin the National Palace Museum is East and Yangming Shan is North, thus you would need to turn left instead of right.
I’m not really sure how to get there. For now, I’ll just say that you head out past the National Palace Museum and make a right to head up Yangmingshan.[/quote]
Wouldn’t that be left? Coming from Shilin the National Palace Museum is East and Yangmingshan is North, thus you would need to turn left instead of right.[/quote]
Could be. I was just a passenger and wasn’t paying much attention. We were coming from Jingmei and as soon as we left Jingmei, I was officially lost. I’ve really got to get up to Taipei more often and learn my way around.
On one of my travels I found a gate and wall for another abandoned amusement park a little bit east of Tucheng, up in the hills. I didn’t go in because I would have definitely been trespassing and somebody would have seen me. Have you heard of this one?
As I remember it you head out on Wenxin Road which becomes Dongshan Road (eastwards, out of Taichung City itself), over the railway tracks, towards Dakeng and the Dakeng traffic circle. It’s on your right, a couple km’s before (or after) that circle (my memory is shoddy at the best of times).
It’s on your right, up a steep, wide set of stairs. You can still see the rollercoaster up there from the road, rusting away.
I think it’s called Atlantis City or something mythological like that.
Get to the top of the stairs and keep an eye out for the dog.
The turnstiles are still there, but you should be able to get in.
Eery stuff! Let me know if you make it up there. I’d love to see some pics from the place (I never took any).
). Really sad place nowadays.
Thanks for sharing it Poagao