Train stations could very well be viewed in a new and different light following the recent publication of a book that sets out to explore the relationship between station development and the nation's social and cultural growth. Entitled Classic Railway Stations in Taiwan (
However far fetched the theme may appear, there is, according to both the Taiwan Railway Administration (
"People take stations for granted. But as gateways for the cities and towns they serve they are more than just buildings," Huang Min-ren (黃民仁), Taiwan Rail general engineer (台鐵總工程司) said. "Being the first and last impressions visitors get of places, train stations are in fact a very important social milieu."
Plotting the history of Taiwan's 114-year-old railway network through the use of essays and photographs, the crux of the book centers around seven train stations -- in Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Keelung, Kaohsiung and Taipei -- and their cultural significance.
"The aim of the book is twofold. First, to give readers an insightful glimpse into the histories of the stations. And second, to show how the expansion of the railway system in Taiwan was reflected changes in society," CCA spokesperson, Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) explained. "As one of the oldest rail networks in Asia, the growth of Taiwan's railways was an important chapter in the history of rail development worldwide."
Filled with the specifications and architectural blueprints from the Japanese colonial era railway network, the book took four years to complete and takes readers on a step-by-step tour of the insides and outsides of the stations. Be it small beams, station entrances and exits, or the facilities found within, each part of the station reflects the social and cultural values of the periods in which they were built.
"The styles and designs used typified what people thought train stations ought to have been like," according to Liou Shuenn-ren (
The plans the book relies on were, until four years ago, slowly rotting away in an abandoned Taiwan Rail building in Taipei. Granted permission by Taiwan Rail to enter and search the building in August of 1998, Liou stumbled across upwards of 5,000 Japanese colonial era architectural plans for train stations dating from between 1908 to the mid-1940s.
Although not the first to make the find, the professor was the first individual officially granted permission by railway authorities to remove and study the plans. "About ten years ago a student managed to get hold of copies for his thesis, and I heard that a university professor had also gotten hold of copies once," Liou said. "But I don't think either was given permission to remove them from the building for further study." Built of wood, over 70 years old and awaiting demolition, the building's lack of ventilation and damp interior meant that much of Liou's find was in very poor condition and in serious need of restoration. This is one of the reasons he feels Taiwan Rail was so forthright in granting him permission to use them.
"I think we were granted permission to remove them because Tunghai University has the equipment and personnel specializing in the restoration of old documents as well as a nationally respected history department," Liou continued. "I'm sure that had we not been in possession of such faculties the documents and plans would have been destroyed when the building was demolished roughly a month after we'd gotten them out."
Published at a time when restoration of several of Taiwan's oldest train stations is already underway, it is hoped that the book will prove popular not only with those interested in trains or architecture, but also with the layperson.
"With Kaohsiung and Taitung's Japanese era stations making news in recent months, I'm hopeful that the book will stoke a great deal of interest," the professor said. "And not just amongst architects and historians. Everybody uses train stations."
In order to lighten the book's technical side and make it appeal to a wider audience, poetry recreating the mood of the cities and the periods in which the stations were constructed is also included in the book.
"Obviously we realized that filling it exclusively with technical drawings would severally limit its readership," Liou said. "So we decided to add poems, photos and essays pertaining to the history of Taiwan's rail network."
While creating a lot of interest not only at home, but also in Japan, where, according to Liou the book has proven extremely popular with train hobbyists, its chances of making the best seller list are virtually impossible.
Only 1,300 copies have been made available to the general public and, because of the involvement of the CCA, the small number of copies that have been published can only be found at Eslite bookstores (
"It's a pity that we can't put the book on wider release, but because there's a government body involved this is impossible. Government publications cannot be sold at public bookstores," Liou explained. "Because we obviously couldn't have undertaken the project without their help, there's little we can do about this."
On April 26, The Lancet published a letter from two doctors at Taichung-based China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) warning that “Taiwan’s Health Care System is on the Brink of Collapse.” The authors said that “Years of policy inaction and mismanagement of resources have led to the National Health Insurance system operating under unsustainable conditions.” The pushback was immediate. Errors in the paper were quickly identified and publicized, to discredit the authors (the hospital apologized). CNA reported that CMUH said the letter described Taiwan in 2021 as having 62 nurses per 10,000 people, when the correct number was 78 nurses per 10,000
As we live longer, our risk of cognitive impairment is increasing. How can we delay the onset of symptoms? Do we have to give up every indulgence or can small changes make a difference? We asked neurologists for tips on how to keep our brains healthy for life. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH “All of the sensible things that apply to bodily health apply to brain health,” says Suzanne O’Sullivan, a consultant in neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, and the author of The Age of Diagnosis. “When you’re 20, you can get away with absolute
May 5 to May 11 What started out as friction between Taiwanese students at Taichung First High School and a Japanese head cook escalated dramatically over the first two weeks of May 1927. It began on April 30 when the cook’s wife knew that lotus starch used in that night’s dinner had rat feces in it, but failed to inform staff until the meal was already prepared. The students believed that her silence was intentional, and filed a complaint. The school’s Japanese administrators sided with the cook’s family, dismissing the students as troublemakers and clamping down on their freedoms — with
As Donald Trump’s executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) — the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda — he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration. Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people. In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the
RSS