Hualien Dachen New Village (花蓮大陳新村) - Spectral Codex
Spectral Codex
Hualien Dachen New Village
花蓮大陳新村

Locations

Hualien City was home to the largest of the Dachen Islander communities resettled in Taiwan. Located just north of Měilún Mountain (美崙山), not far from the Port of Hualien, these twin village were home to nearly 500 households and 2,000 residents when they were established in 1955, not long after the evacuation of the Dàchén Islands (大陳諸島) in the closing act of the First Taiwan Strait Crisis.

The entrance to the Dachen community on Highway 9.
The entrance to the Dachen community on Highway 9.
Old homes in Dachen No. 1 Village, Hualien.
Old homes in Dachen No. 1 Village, Hualien.
Narrow laneways and some rebuilt homes deep inside the old Dachen Islander community.
Narrow laneways and some rebuilt homes deep inside the old Dachen Islander community.
A rudimentary structure in the bowels of the old village.
A rudimentary structure in the bowels of the old village.
Abandoned homes are a common sight in the cramped confines of the Dachen Islander community.
Abandoned homes are a common sight in the cramped confines of the Dachen Islander community.
A mural on a retaining wall with an oversize map of Upper Dachen Island.
A mural on a retaining wall with an oversize map of Upper Dachen Island.
The painted façade of Dachen Story House.
The painted façade of Dachen Story House.
From the courtyard of Zhenjun Temple.
From the courtyard of Zhenjun Temple.
A divine boat inside Zhenjun Temple.
A divine boat inside Zhenjun Temple.
A float in the courtyard of Zhenjun Temple, presumably True Monarch Ruan Bi.
A float in the courtyard of Zhenjun Temple, presumably True Monarch Ruan Bi.
Thanksgiving Hall, the stage immediately across from Zhenjun Temple.
Thanksgiving Hall, the stage immediately across from Zhenjun Temple.
This bust of Chiang Kai-shek facing the Dachen Story House is emblazoned with the inscription “Savior of the Nation”.
This bust of Chiang Kai-shek facing the Dachen Story House is emblazoned with the inscription “Savior of the Nation”.
Broken windows and grime.
Broken windows and grime.
Inspecting construction methods.
Inspecting construction methods.
An empty lot in Dachen No. 1 Village.
An empty lot in Dachen No. 1 Village.
A stone marker for Dachen No. 1 Village.
A stone marker for Dachen No. 1 Village.

Map

Recorded On

Links

Sources

  • Dachen New Village Demographics 《大陳新村各地區人口分佈及職業概況》

Themes

Nearby Locations

Similar Content

Hsinchu Xinyi New Village

Hsinchu Xinyi New Village
(新竹信義新村)

Hsinchu City
Hsinchu North
Yueming New Village

Yueming New Village
(岳明新村)

Yilan
Su’ao
Zhuangwei Ren’ai New Village

Zhuangwei Ren’ai New Village
(壯圍仁愛新村)

Yilan
Zhuangwei
Yonghe Wuhe New Village

Yonghe Wuhe New Village
(永和五和新村)

New Taipei
Yonghe
Hualong No. 1 Village

Hualong No. 1 Village
(宜蘭化龍一村)

Yilan
Yilan City

Author

Profile photo of Alexander Synaptic, founder of Spectral Codex
Alexander Synaptic
Curator, Spectral Codex

I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.