南庄戲院

Nanzhuang Theater

March 25th, 2024

Nanzhuang Theater (南庄戲院) was established in 1946 to serve the large population of lumberjacks, camphor speculators, and coal miners operating out of this mountain town in Miaoli. Initially it was a venue focusing on Hakka tea-picking opera (採茶戲) and other traditional performances but it soon transitioned to screening films.

Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — Closed for business in the late afternoon one day in 2019. On the right side of the building there are several hand-painted posters: Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (賽德克·巴萊); Brother Cow (牛伯伯), released in 1963; and Twilight City (黃昏城), released 1965, by Taiwanese director Lin Fu-Ti (林福地).

Ticket Booth at Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — The old ticket booth, fare table, and schedule.

The original timber frame building was washed away in a flood induced by Typhoon Gloria (葛樂禮颱風) in 1963 but it was quickly rebuilt with reinforced concrete. Sometime later on, likely in the 1980s, it became notorious for strip tease shows (牛肉場). It remained in business as a theater and entertainment venue until 2007 after which it finally closed down.

Night Market Hero Poster at Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — A well-preserved hand-painted poster for Night Market Hero (雞排英雄), 2011, hangs beneath the awning.

Faded Movie Posters at Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — The side of the theater is adorned with hand-painted posters for Man of Steel (超人：鋼鐵英雄), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (哈比人2), Pirates of the Caribbean (加勒比海盗), and Zone Pro Site (總舖師).

Around Back at Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — Around the back of the old theater in 2019.

After a period of idleness it reopened as a Hakka restaurant in 2015, but the pandemic put an end to this chapter of the old theater’s history, and it shut down around 2023. Since then it has become idle again, and the harsh weather conditions of Taiwan have taken a toll on the posters still hanging outside.

Signs of Decay at Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — Five years later many of the hand-painted posters have been shredded into oblivion by Taiwan’s harsh weather conditions.

Dusky Nanzhuang Theater (南庄大戲院) — One last glimpse of the old theater at dusk in 2024.

Map

Address: 苗栗縣南庄鄉西村中山路3巷55號

Recorded On

October 17th, 2019
August 10th, 2024

Links

Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank (文化部國家文化記憶庫)
Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank (文化部國家文化記憶庫)
Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank (文化部國家文化記憶庫)
Hakka Cloud (客家雲)
YouTube: Tony Huang (YouTube)
Google Maps

Sources

New Taipei Gold Museum Report: In Search of Old Theaters, Hsinchu Municipal Cultural Center, 2019《新北市立黃金博物館「尋找老戲院身影」》，新竹市立文化中心，2019

Themes

Theaters in Taiwan (台灣老戲院)

Nearby Locations

Nanzhuang Yongchang Temple Well (南庄永昌宮廟坪前古井)—0.14 km
Nanzhuang Guihua Alley (南庄老街桂花巷)—0.16 km
Nanzhuang Shisanjian Old Street (南庄十三間老街)—0.18 km
Nanzhuang Old Street (南庄老街)—0.18 km
Nanzhuang Post Office (南庄郵便局)—0.19 km
Nanzhuang Yongchang Temple (南莊永昌宮)—0.20 km
Nanzhuang Forestry Bureau Dongcun Dormitories (林務局南庄東村宿舍)—0.34 km
Nanzhuang Forestry Bureau Datong Road Dormitories (林務局南庄大同路宿舍)—0.38 km
Nanjiang Old Street (南江老街)—0.51 km
Nanzhuang Incident Mass Grave (南庄國中萬善爺義塚)—0.60 km
Nanzhuang Nanbang Xinkeng Coal Mine (南庄南邦新坑煤礦)—2.55 km
Nanzhuang Longxiang Coal Mine (南庄隆祥煤礦)—2.58 km

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