大樹昌樂大戲院

Changle Theater

February 12th, 2024

Last updated September 26th, 2025

The imposing ruin of Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) towers over the somnolent streets of central Dashu, a suburban district of Kaohsiung sprawling along the right bank of the silty Gaoping River (高屏溪). Its predecessor, Guangming Theater (光明戲院), was built in the 1950s and later purchased by Xǔ Kāichuán (許開傳), the former chairman of the township mediation committee. Dashu was booming in those days, buoyed by the presence of numerous military bases in the area, so Xu purchased land behind the existing theater to construct a larger, more modern theater in 1960. Guangming Theater was soon demolished, clearing space for a small yet bustling entertainment district to form around the plaza, likely featuring billiard halls, restaurants, teahouses, and dessert shops catering to the raucous crowds spilling out from the theater night after night.

Approaching Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — A first glance at Changle Theater from the street.

Oblique View of Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — An oblique look at the hulking ruin in the heart of this old town.

Changle Theater adheres to a pattern of design typical of 1960s Taiwanese cinemas with a ticket booth and commercial space on the ground floor and a large, singular auditorium capable of accommodating approximately 750 patrons upstairs. The façade is plain and unremarkable as hand-painted signs would have been displayed out front, advertising the latest films and performances. Ventilation shafts line the corridors on the second floor, providing some respite from the oppressive heat of summer, but the interior was likely air conditioned.

Ticket Booth at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Colourful vintage tiles adorn the former ticket booth.

Corridors of Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Ventilation typical of 1960s architecture in Taiwan line a corridor on the second floor.

Poster For Superboy (新飛天神童) — Faded traces of a movie poster for *Superboy* (新飛天神童), released in 1982.

Business boomed through the 1960s and into the 1970s but the introduction of the Three Old Channels (老三台), free-to-air television stations introduced from 1962 to 1971, and the popularization of home television slowly eroded audiences. Regular film screenings were still held into the 1980s, as evidenced by the faded remnants of a movie poster for Superboy (新飛天神童)¹, released in 1982, still clinging to an interior wall, but the theater might have also turned to more risqué forms of entertainment as consumer habits changed. The final curtain fell in 1987 after nearly three decades of operation².

Screening Room at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Blood red paint indicates we’ve arrived at the “screening room” (放映室).

Projection Room at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Rusty old projectors in the dark.

Light Switches Inside Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Light switches in the projection room.

A Glimpse of the Main Hall Inside Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Peeking through one of the portholes.

Main Hall Inside Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — The view from the projection room.

Main Stage at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — A closer look at the ruined stage. The name of the old theater is prominently displayed on the banner at the top.

Ruined Vista at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Looking back at the main hall. All the seats have been removed.

Old Seats at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Old theater seats in the outer corridors.

Living Quarters Inside Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Living quarters in the old theater. It wasn’t uncommon for the projectionist to reside at the theater in those days.

Film Reels at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Film reels turning into mulch.

Lost Ticket at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — An old ticket found in a dark room.

Exit Sign at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — This way to the emergency exit.

Restroom Inside Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — One last visit to the restroom.

Main Hall at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — The old theater hall in black and white.

Around Back at Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) — Around back at the old theater in Dashu.

Following the closure of the theater it was sold to a developer who subsequently absconded without completing payment. This triggered a property rights dispute that remains unresolved decades later. Such legal complications inhibit any attempt at revitalization³ or demolition, leaving the old theater in a state of limbo, preserving it as a time capsule of Taiwan’s cinematic past.

A more legible copy of this same posted can be found here in the digital collections of the National Museum of Taiwan History. ↩
The date of closure is confirmed by Xu Linghua (許鈴華), the daughter of the owner, in this article from The Liberty Times. ↩
Renewed interest in the old theater was prompted by a student group from the I-Shou University Department of Film and Television (義守大學影視系學) producing a short film here in 2023. ↩

Map

Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.

警告：此處已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並做好相關安全防護措施。

Details

Status:Abandoned (廢墟)
Address:高雄市大樹區中興北路安樂巷1號
Coordinates:

Recorded On

December 2nd, 2018

Themes

Series: Southern Taiwan Ride 2018

Dispatches from a weeklong bicycle trip around southern Taiwan in late 2018. I began the ride in Tainan, crossed into Qishan, headed into the mountainous interior as far as Liugui, did a loop through Pingtung, and finished around Zuoying, visiting the sites of nearly 25 old movie theaters. Many entries remain to be added; this series is far from over.