Taipei (台北市) had been a megacity even forty years ago. Recreation,
cinemas, sightseeing weren’t my initial concerns. I needed a place to stay,
which was near enough to two universities, where I took courses. The ideal
place had been the TIYAC (台北国际青年活动中心) or Taipei International Youth Activity Center, which had
opened recently. Most students there were overseas Chinese, but there were also
some Koreans and a handful of Western foreigners. Forty years ago this suburb (大安区) of
Taipei had seen hardly any Western foreigner. In the beginning we were really stared
at, but this dwindled.
The surroundings were green and the air was as fresh as
it could be. Taipei sits in a pan. Busses were belching out thick smoke.
Sometimes returning from the city center meant taking a shower immediately as
arms and face were black. Even on Hoping Dong Road (和平东路) there were days, when you could look only 100
meters because of the air pollution. Zhong Hua Road (中华路) always had been worse, because quite a lot of
busses stopped there. During the rush hour, 50 meters sight at best.
My window had been in the back
overlooking Taida (台大). Here are a few photographs. I
must warn you, the quality is really bad. I didn’t have a good camera, the
picture have been scanned from prints, I had been inexperienced, the rolls
waited about a year in a hot climate before being developed, and the prints
changed color during the years that have gone by.
This is the TIYAC - please note the V-shape, which
has advantages, if it comes to earthquakes
The small raod to Taida - the technic comes close
to the style of French impressionalists
Even a better look at the small road to Taida -
along the wall in the middle
That looks definitely different from today
This was the best I could make out of a
faded picture, as my window had been to the west,
I had lots of nice sunsets
In front of the TIYAC - I had been slimmer and
my hair had been longer
.
I stayed at TIYAC 35 years ago. While it was quite polluted (both sir and noise) due to horrendous traffic, the visibility was never as bad as you said (in my experience). I still hope to return to Taiwan one day. I doubt I will recognize much.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the busses already had changed. In the inner city on Zhong hua lu (中华路) in between Kaifeng jie (开封街) and Wuchang jie (武昌街) it had been as discriebd, but not in the vicinity of the TIYAC.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pictures. It’s been a long while since I stayed there. I miss all and the wonderful people that I met there!
DeleteI stayed in TIYAC in 1983. I was there on a scholarship to learn Chinese. I remember going out for dinner at the Cat Lady’s restaurant and walking to the Mandarin Institute every day for lessons. Were you there at the same time?
ReplyDeleteI stayed at TIYAC in 1987 while I was taking Mandarin lessons at the Mandarin Institute. Had good times there amidst the hustles and bustles.
DeleteSorry for the delay! Yes, I had been there during summer, but not at the TIYAC as I stayed with friends in Jing Mei (景美区，三福街) and worked in the Tri-Service General Hospital (三军总医院). I also studied at the 师大国语中心。
ReplyDelete