Chiayi Hollywood Cineplex

Located in the heart of Chiayi City, Jincaishen Building (金財神大樓) was built through a joint partnership between the local government, construction companies, and the private sector in 1993. It was a mixed-use building with a department store, ice skating rink, and a huge, modern movie theater with ten screens: Hollywood Cineplex (好萊塢超級電影院)¹. Business prospered until the devastating 921 earthquake struck in 1999. The building’s exterior cracked in numerous places, tiles and other debris fell to the roadside, and bare metal beams were visible in places. The building was declared unsafe for use and Hollywood Cineplex immediately went out of business.

Date CapturedFebruary 4th, 2018 at 07:55 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 7.1Shutter Speed1/160 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO200Exposure Value13.0 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedFebruary 4th, 2018 at 08:00 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 7.1Shutter Speed1/200 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO200Exposure Value13.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

After languishing in disrepair for more than a decade the building was re-assessed as structurally sound in 2015, opening up the possibility of urban renewal. The city government stepped in, offering lucrative subsidies, and the property owner undertook extensive renovations in the late 2010s. The commercial parts of the building reopened to the public in 2020, not without controversy however. Subsequent earthquakes have caused renewed damage to the exterior, raising concerns about the building’s future.

Date CapturedFebruary 4th, 2018 at 07:57 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 3.5Shutter Speed1/30 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO400Exposure Value8.5 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedFebruary 4th, 2018 at 07:56 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 3.5Shutter Speed1/30 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO220Exposure Value8.5 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Prior to the renovation effort I swung by to capture a few photos of the building and the ticket booth, which was hidden behind clothing displayed in a shop on the ground floor. Given the extent of the renovations it is almost certain no trace of this cineplex remains today.

Footnotes

1. Some sources also refer to it as Jincaishen Theater (金財神戲院) after the name of the building as a whole. ↩