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Taiwan Storyland

-- By Shanzi Chen Translated by Cara Steenstra

In November, 2005, a colourful entranceway decorated with fruit and a mysterious sign reading "Taiwan Storyland", located next to K-mall opposite the Taipei rail station, began grabbing a lot of attention. Curious passers-by soon discovered that the basement space here had been transformed into an authentic, meticulously-recreated old Taiwan neighbourhood.
On either side of the recreated streets and alleys here are scenes and architecture from the '50s through the '70s in Taiwan, with each doorway carefully decorated according to the designs and lifestyles of that time. Shop signs and displays are all genuine antiques, sure to help make visits a nostalgia-filled experience, as visiting parents and grandparents talk to their children about the "old days".

This is exactly the kind of atmosphere and effect that Taiwan Banana New Paradise Chairman Wu Chuan-zhi intended to create. This is a place of nostalgia, a cultural area for reflection and a museum portraying the life force of Taiwan. As you stroll along these old street scenes, looking at the police stations, homes of neighbourhood chiefs, department of health offices, grocery stores, classrooms and much more, it is a journey that is not only nostalgic but is also an educational opportunity as you experience, or re-experience, a much simpler time on this island.

Apart from the old street and little alleys, there is a movie theater showing early Taiwanese films, complete with old-style, hard wooden fold-up chairs. There is also a Taiwan Story Land Exhibition Hall, displaying historical artifacts from around Taiwan, dating from the Qing dynasty to modern times. Taiwan Storyland covers 1,500 pings and is the largest retro-themed museum in Asia. There are old-style snack stalls and a theme restaurant that provides a variety of cuisine, so that visitors can enjoy a nice meal with friends and family after strolling the streets.
Taiwan Storyland is not only a novel form of leisure and entertainment, but also a way to hold onto scenes that have almost completely faded from Taiwan's memory.