Nanzhuang Theater (南庄戲院) - Spectral Codex
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南庄戲院

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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.

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).
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).
The old ticket booth, fare table, and schedule.
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.

A well-preserved hand-painted poster for Night Market Hero (雞排英雄), 2011, hangs beneath the awning.
A well-preserved hand-painted poster for Night Market Hero (雞排英雄), 2011, hangs beneath the awning.
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).
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 the back of the old theater in 2019.
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.

Five years later many of the hand-painted posters have been shredded into oblivion by Taiwan’s harsh weather conditions.
Five years later many of the hand-painted posters have been shredded into oblivion by Taiwan’s harsh weather conditions.
One last glimpse of the old theater at dusk in 2024.
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

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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.