Dafu Theater

This quiet rural settlement on the south side of Guangfu was once a bustling town with approximately 6,000 migrant sugarcane farmers passing through every day. It was also home to a movie theater in the late Japanese colonial era, possibly with its roots in an informal open-air cinema operating next to Fu’an Temple (富安宮). A more permanent venue was eventually established, and while the date of construction seems lost in the mists of time, it was located on a plot of land just in front of the railway station. It is unclear whether it was built before or after the war, so it is sometimes referred to as Yamato Theater (大和戲院), after the original name of the village, or Dafu Theater (大富戲院).

Date Captured May 18th, 2018 at 07:05 UTCCamera NIKON D3100Lens AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIAperture ƒ / 7.1Shutter Speed 1/200 secFocal Length 18.0 mmISO 100Exposure Value 13.3 EVOriginal Size 3600 × 2400

Several fires struck Dafu over the years, one of them claiming the theater around 1957 or 1958. The structure rebuilt on the same plot of land now houses Woodpecker’s Garden (啄木鳥的花園), a restaurant and café preserving theater memorabilia such as ticket stubs from the now-demolished cinema. Unfortunately it was closed when I visited in 2018 so I haven’t any interior shots.

Date Captured May 18th, 2018 at 07:09 UTCCamera NIKON D3100Lens AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIAperture ƒ / 7.1Shutter Speed 1/200 secFocal Length 30.0 mmISO 100Exposure Value 13.3 EVOriginal Size 3600 × 2400