Dongyuan Theater

Dongyuan Theater (東原戲院) was a small entertainment venue in the hills of eastern Tainan. This village was prosperous for several decades after the Dongyuan Qiandapu Sugar Factory (東原前大埔糖廠) was established in the late Japanese colonial era, bringing crowds to the main market street after every working day. Traditional opera were more popular in those days, so the theater was configured more for performance than screening films.

Date CapturedFebruary 2nd, 2018 at 04:58 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 8Shutter Speed1/250 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO200Exposure Value14.0 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

The sugar factory went out of business in the 1960s and the prosperity of the village soon declined. By the 1970s this theater was likely out of business, and seems to have been repurposed as a warehouse and later a parking lot. Most of the building was eventually knocked down, but a photo of the original reinforced concrete façade is displayed on site.

Date CapturedFebruary 2nd, 2018 at 04:57 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length30.0 mmISO200Exposure Value11.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Lastly, it is worth noting that the theater was also known as Qiandapu Theater (前大埔戲院), after the traditional name of the village and sugar factory.