Jingliao Old Street

Date CapturedFebruary 2nd, 2018 at 08:42 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 7.1Shutter Speed1/200 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO200Exposure Value13.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

A rural old street in northern Tainan with origins in the mid-Qing period, when Jingliao (菁寮) was a small settlement producing indigo dye (小菁) and served as an important rest stop on the official road between Tainan and Chiayi. Its advantageous position made it the most prosperous settlement along the Bazhang River (八掌溪), locally known as Beishi Street (北勢街). During the Japanese colonial era, streetfront buildings were rebuilt as commercial shophouses under urban improvement regulations (市區改正), and Jingliao earned the nickname “Trousseau Street” (嫁妝街) for its concentration of wedding goods shops. The street gained wider recognition as the setting of the 2005 documentary Let It Be (無米樂).