Urban Exploration

i’m interested in discovering the hidden parts of Taipei as well. But like the poster above, what does it entail exactly though? Jumping fences, dodging patrols?

Taiwan and Taipei have many unexplored buildings, structures and areas which have been abandoned for many years, some even since the second world war.
Urban exploration involves gaining entry to these areas and exploring them. These are places where generally, people do not go, or don’t even dare enter.

Here is an non-exhaustive list of things I have explored in the past year:

Ships
Abandoned military sites (I know the risks - so no advice please)
Abandoned office complexes
Abandoned theaters
Abandoned coal mines, gold mines and mines providing other materials
Abandoned factories.
Underground tunnel systems
Underground railway networks (both abandoned or not yet complete)
Abandoned highway tunnel projects
Old abandoned veteran villages
Air raid shelters
Abandoned railway buildings and lines
Sugar cane refining plants
Cranes
Natural underground caves
The top of buildings
Abandoned apartment blocks
Abandoned cement factories.
The underneath of bridges
Abandoned hospitals.
Abandoned hotels

There is no damage committed on entry. Nothing is taken from the site. No illegal activities are committed.
The police don’t care. Sometimes they may pass and ask what I am doing, but they don’t care. Sometimes they even chat about the place and give me some interesting historical facts or personal experiences about the places I occasionally get discovered in.

Ships?!

Sounds pretty cool. How do you know where to go to? I mean, you can’t randomly mark a spot on a map and wander around there right? Or is that how it’s done?

Thanks, Super Hans. I’m much more excited now than ever. I’ll PM you when i get back to Taipei next week.

Is transportation usually an issue? I’m one of those walking/MRT type foreigners.

Posting to subscribe to this thread. If only I had known about this during the summer, when I was Taipei on my own . . .

I use Urbex to research points of historic importance in Taiwan. This thread is an example of a typical place that could be visited:

[url]Goodbye, Dragon Inn

If on weekends (very rarely am I free on weekdays) I’m in!! PM me if you guys organize a urban exploration trip. Thx ~~~

Hey guys. Came across this forum while Googling “Taiwan urban exploration” and was lucky enough to find it.

I’ll be visiting Taipei/Taichung from Nov 24-28 and would like to check out some abandonments/rooftops. Heard Taiwan is a haven for that, so this is partly the reason why I decided to come :laughing:

If anyone’s down to meet up, please reply or send a PM. Thanks!!!

I am up for some more Urban Exploration in Taipei, if anyone is up for it, too. I usually go into abandoned houses, and do it alone… the wife does not share in the enjoyment of seeing decrepit, old houses and the stuff that’s inside. Unfortunately, I don’t have many photos, because I would usually go in on a whim… say, when passing by (and I only got a phone with a decent camera recently).

I wouldn’t go anywhere potentially life-threatening, however - such as underground anywhere.

Let me first share with you, Chen Po-I, who is Taiwan’s “King of Ruins”: youtube.com/watch?v=AeCT17t6 … plpp_video

Chen Po-I also has a Flickr account where you can view his Urbex photos: flickr.com/photos/stfanchen/sets/

Here is my only crack at Urbex that I’ve so far documented: plus.google.com/u/0/10252493424 … ikDamhBb1n
It is located in Yonghe: g.co/maps/twyzz

I once climbed up the ladder of East Gate in 2004, when they had a walkway through it, before it was refurbished. To my surprise, there was a washroom up there, and nothing else: g.co/maps/bhec4

I went inside some lookout tower on Yangming Shan… not much to see there, but garbage thrown in. Although, you did have to climb in from the top. I also went into a lookout tower in Penghu. Nice view of the ocean, but otherwise pretty boring inside.

I also ventured into this abandoned house in Zhonghe one time, and there was a squatter living in it. He wasn’t home at the time, but you could tell that newer stuff had been collected… the bed was made… needless to say, I got out of there quick.

There are some mining tunnels in the Wuxing Street area mountains (g.co/maps/827tu) (Elephant Mountain, Lion Mountain, Thumb Mountain, etc.), but the obvious, big entrances are shut with metal bars… perhaps there are other ways in? Perhaps this is what Dangermouse spoke of?

I did hear, too, that there were tunnels directly from The Presidential Palace to a Yangming Shan underground base, and also to Songshan Airport.

That’s an urban legend. Do you know how far the presidential office building is from Yangmingshan? Not to mention the river such a tunnel would have to go under. But if you mean the presidential residence in Shilin, now that’s a different story. :ponder:

Well, it’s amazing what massive projects can and were done by humans… and for altogether weird purposes (e.g. the Egyptian pyramids)… so, even though in doubt, I would not be surprised if there were an underground tunnel all the way from the Presidential Palace to a bunker within Yangming Shan, with a carriage inside that is pulled by Samurai Zombies.

It sounds very far fetched, but rumour has it there are tunnels all under Taipei - AND many of them go under rivers. AND I heard they have some kind of trains in them!!!

I want to go into the old Japanese style house over here. Its about to be razed and I feel the countdown. But Im afraid to go by myself.

It sounds very far fetched, but rumour has it there are tunnels all under Taipei - AND many of them go under rivers. AND I heard they have some kind of trains in them!!![/quote]

Of what manner of witchcraft do you speak?!

What area are you in?

Not much to be scared of… especially if there are no warnings spray-pained on the sides of the building (some buildings have warnings spray-painted in red about how you will be fined, etc.)… when my wife and I took wedding photos, the photographer took us into an old abandoned Japanese-style house. We just walked in like it was his house. Spent an hour there, took tonnes of photos… it was really cool.

Here are the three photos we have: facebook.com/photo.php?fbid … 432&type=3
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid … permPage=1
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid … permPage=1

But be careful, because the floorboards are weak. If you want me to go with you… PM me!

If you guys can wait 3 weeks, I’ll definitely go with you :slight_smile:

Anyone in the Kaohsiung area have an interest in this, let me know. More fun than poking a turd with a stick!

Yeah, Lili, let’s wait for Paranoidandroid! You’ve got to do some reconnaissance in the meantime. Are there any easy ways to get in? Is the door wide open? We cannot do any break & enter…

Oh, here’s a map I’ve been working on for the past couple of days, regarding interesting places in Taipei to do some Urban Exploring: maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=213 … 5,0.169086

I’ll be back in Taipei next week if anyone, including all guys who have sent me PM’s, want to check stuff out. I’ve got a list.

Steviebike, I’m in KHH quite often. There’s lot’s to see and do there and I have some places in mind. I know Cornishmen are often quirky, but please try to refrain from annoying bits of poo. I’m sure there are plenty of other things to get on with.

[quote=“Super Hans”]I’ll be back in Taipei next week if anyone, including all guys who have sent me PM’s, want to check stuff out. I’ve got a list.

Steviebike, I’m in KHH quite often. There’s lot’s to see and do there and I have some places in mind. I know Cornishmen are often quirky, but please try to refrain from annoying bits of poo. I’m sure there are plenty of other things to get on with.[/quote]

Sweet, that still leaves me a full week to fit in at least one of these explorations before i fly home. :thumbsup:

[quote=“Super Hans”]I’ll be back in Taipei next week if anyone, including all guys who have sent me PM’s, want to check stuff out. I’ve got a list.

Steviebike, I’m in KHH quite often. There’s lot’s to see and do there and I have some places in mind. I know Cornishmen are often quirky, but please try to refrain from annoying bits of poo. I’m sure there are plenty of other things to get on with.[/quote]

Ok Super Hans, let me know if your are in KH and you want to explore. Will leave the annoying bits of poo alone.