Tainan Dongshan Theater

Dongshan Theater (東山戲院) is a former golden age cinema in Dongshan, Tainan. It was established in 1961 by Cai Maohui (蔡茂輝) with some help from outside investors. Since it was the second to bear this name in central Dongshan it was commonly called New Theater (新戲院) by townspeople. Since the theater was patronized mainly by soldiers from the nearby bases there as a focus on screening films more than hosting traditional opera and performance, though the theater was equipped for both.

Date CapturedFebruary 2nd, 2018 at 04:28 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 8Shutter Speed1/250 secFocal Length26.0 mmISO200Exposure Value14.0 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

As with most other theaters of its vintage this one struggled with the introduction of home television in the 1980s. Song and dance troupes performed stripteases in the mid-1980s, but the owner has little appetite for dealing with the authorities, and the business soon closed. For a time it was converted for use as a garment factory, but eventually bank loans could not be repaid, and the property was foreclosed.

Date CapturedFebruary 2nd, 2018 at 04:39 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 9Shutter Speed1/320 secFocal Length40.0 mmISO200Exposure Value14.7 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Local businessman Chen Mingzhi (陳明智) purchased the theater in the bank auction, stripped the original cypress stage, and repurposed the structure as a warehouse for storing plastic water piping. The original ticket booth remains pretty much as it was in the 1960s, although the signboard has been taken down.