東宮戲院

January 5th, 2017

Dōnggōng Theater (東宮戲院) was located in Dongshi, a Hakka majority township in mountainous central Taichung, and was one of the last remaining golden age cinemas still standing in this area. Likely built sometime between 1955 and 1960, originally operated by the Liao family as Baile Theater (百樂戲院) in the 1960s. Closed after the 921 Earthquake, and despite an attempt to have it designated a heritage property, it was demolished in 2023 to make way for a parking lot.

Dongshi (or Tungshih in the older Wade-Giles romanization system) is the gateway to the densely forested interior and was a major center of the lumber industry in Taiwan prior to its decline in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Disaster struck in 1999 with the devastating 921 Earthquake. Dongshi was among the worst hit; over 300 people lost their lives and hundreds of buildings collapsed—but not this grand old theater.

An abandoned 60 year-old movie theater on a main thoroughfare in Dongshi, Taichung.

A closer look at the distinctive façade of the historic Donggong Theater.

Business records indicate Donggong Theater opened for business in 1960, no doubt catering to the tastes of the many loggers and townspeople flush with cash during the boom times of the Taiwan Economic Miracle. This post (in Chinese) describes the theater in its glory days, relating the tale of a one-armed uncle who would ride around town with a megaphone announcing the films now playing.

A peculiar round window on the side of the old theater.

Donggong’s architectural style is a curious mix of influences that I am almost at a loss to describe. It was built not long after Xinxing Theater in Xinpu but shares only a vague hint of pre-war Taiwan in the shape of the windows and a modernist emphasis on geometric forms. Whatever the case, you aren’t likely to forget the unusual sight of the fortress-like façade!

Ticket booth at the old Donggong Theater.

The ticket booth has some additional features that deserve a mention. The sign indicates six shows daily, with films now playing (今日放映) listed on the right. Ticket prices (票價) are denominated in both yuán (元) and jiǎo (角, “cents”), the latter being a unit no longer in use.