Aloha
I am Sunday
You are now watching the fifth episode of Story of Taipei - Taipei Dream
Speaking of dreams, you had probably heard of the American Dream or A Midsummer Night’s Dream...
But have you heard of the Taipei Dream?
About forty or fifty years ago, Taipei was a symbol of modernity and success
Many came all the way up from central and southern Taiwan with the Taipei Dream
and started their journey at Taipei Railway Station Rear
Now you may be wondering
“Railway Station Rear? Where’s that? Is there a Station Front? or Station Right and Left?”
To answer this question, let’s head back to the railway times
Once upon a time
when rail transportation was a vital part of Taipei’s passenger transportation network
Taipei was divided in half by the railroads, creating a front part and a rear part
That’s why there is a Station Front and a Station Rear
Since everyone is familiar with Station Front , let’s skip to the rear
Speaking of Station Rear, we cannot leave out Hua Yin Street
Hua Yin Street is located between Dadaocheng and the Taipei City Walls
Back in Qing Dynasty when men wore pigtails,
Hua Yin Street was a fertile field, where farmers happily grew crops
After the Japanese came, roads were built replacing the field
A train station was also built
Since then, festivals in Dadaocheng and market transactions became extremely convenient
Located in Station Rear, Hua Yin Street so became crowded and bustling
In the 60s, new factories and companies were springing up like mushrooms in Taipei,
Young people from central and southern Taiwan flooded Taipei with their dreams
At Taipei Main Station, Station Front gave a full look of the busy and glamorours Taipei City;
and Station Rear, you would find loads of employment agencies
White collar workers and students all headed to Station Front
while others headed to Station Rear seeking job opportunities
However, what they experienced were not what they had expected
Gangsters stood everywhere on the streets, targeting those young people
“You looking for a job?”
“Umm, yeah...yes!”
“Stop talking. Get in the car!”
“Oh...”
Unsuspiciously, those young ones were carried to work in trucks
They were brought to satellite cities like Sanchong, Wugu and Zhonghe
where factories of all kinds were located
They worked 24/7, all day all night...
“DJ, music!”
(Adapted from A New Dream of an Affectionate Couple of Butterflies, by Michael Huang)
Of all the employment agencies, you might be tricked by some
but they really were full of job opportunities
It might be a hard job, it might not pay well
but the young people still believed that
“fly like a beautiful butterfly, bright future are right up ahead”
(Adapted from Butterfly Beautiful, by Chang Hung-Liang)
“So...can I still look for jobs there?”
Are you stupid? Of course not
Because of its convenient location, and accessibility to the factories,
Those employment agencies had turned into wholesale markets
Hardware, plastic and even clothing wholesalers from all over Taiwan
all came to Hua Yin Street
Business turnover each day was beyond your imagination
The popularity of Hua Yin Street was totally insane
At that point, the government decided to launched the Railway Underground Project,
This meant, the memorable Station Rear was about to disappear
Crowds disappeared, shopping habits changed, Hua Yin Street just wasn’t as popular
However, insightful wholesalers still do come here
Plastic materials, hardware, toys, accessories and more
you can still find them on Hua Yin Street
Walk a little farther, there are also Q Square department store and Taipei Bus Station
Hua Yin Street may not be as popular as it was, but it’s still thriving
Station Rear is a place full of old memories,
To the middle-aged Taipei citizens, it was the starting point of their dreams
and Hua Yin Street, was the road leading to their dream
Back in the period when Taipei City needed development
It was with the help of these central and southern Taiwan citizens, that we have this flourishing Taipei City today
And now,
Not only do we hope that Taipei City gives a chance to the young generation to fulfill their dreams
but also for dreams to be accomplished in every corners of Taiwan,
New Year’s resolution: Let us create our own Taiwan Dream together!
The fifth episode of Story of Taipei
ends here today with a new Taipei dream’s comma
See you next time!
After watching this episode,
can you relate to the elders who left their hometown at a very young age?
Those who held a Taipei Dream,
left home with a note saying
“I’m going to Taipei, where the place is said to be a paradise”
-Marching Forward, by Lin Chung 1990
without looking back
But at those nights when the sense of nostalgia are the strongest
they could not help but sang
“Taipei is not my hometown; my hometown has no neon lights”-Lukang, by Lo Da Yu1982
But for their Taipei Dream, they held on and kept fighting
With the joining of these new citizens, Taipei quickly developed
Skyscrapers, viaducts, MRT, you name it!
Traces of evidence are left regardless of the fast changing city
To discover more and more stories of Taipei
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Let’s discover more stories together!
After five exciting episodes, Story of Taipei Season 1
has now officially come to an end
Don’t be sad! We’ll see you again in the future
We hope to have more chances to introduce this city to the audience
Whether you own a time-honored brand or a startup company,
as long as you love Taipei, feel welcome to email us your story!
Story of Taipei, see you next time!