千越大樓

Qianyue Building

January 3rd, 2016

The Qiānyuè Building (千越大樓) is one of the most recognizable ruins in central Taiwan. Located only a short distance from Taichung Station (台中車站), it is impossible to miss if you bother to look up at some point while walking deeper into the city. This mixed-use commercial and residential high-rise was originally built in the 1970s and, thanks to its location at the very heart of the famous Taichung Electronics Street (台中電子街商圈), reached its apex during the consumer electronics boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Exterior shot of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Outside the Qianyue Building, one of Taiwan’s most infamous ruins.

Staring up at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Staring at the sky from the inner courtyard.

By the turn of the millennium the city’s center of gravity moved westward to new developments in Xitun and the Qianyue Building slipped into terminal decline along with much of the rest of Central District, Taichung. Like most other mixed-use commercial buildings in Taiwan this one was home to a variety of restaurants, cram schools (Chinese: bǔxíbān 補習班), nightclubs, karaoke joints, and so on, in addition to the eponymous Qianyue Department Store (千越百貨). Many of these businesses would have closed while others changed owners and went downmarket as decay set in. The final nail in the coffin was a devastating fire that broke out in the seventh floor dance club in 2005. Nowadays this ruined landmark has become a symbol for what is widely considered to be one of the most run-down parts of urban Taiwan. (Not that this should dissuade you from visiting. The worst parts of Taiwan are still way safer than an average American city!)

The ruins of a department store in Taichung — The stairs lining the inner courtyard are one of the Qianyue Building’s most distinctive features.

Perhaps due to its ease of access, central location, and distinctive look the Qianyue Building is regularly used for photo shoots of all kinds. I have made many trips to the building over the last several years and often bump into small groups of Taiwanese satisfying their curiosity or deeply engaged in setting up a photo shoot (check out these geotagged photos on Facebook for some examples). There is no barrier to entry and nobody working at the many businesses that still ring the base of the building seem to care who goes inside.

Zetetic piece in Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Graffiti in the ruins of Taiwan is an extremely unusual sight. If I’m not mistaken this is actually a sly advertisement for a local streetwear label, probably done for a promo shoot of some kind or another.

The inner stairway at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓

Broken tile on the way down — Broken tile all the way down.

Connective tissue between the two halves of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Numerous bridges connected the two buildings.

Former entrance to the restaurant inside Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — A round gateway to what was formerly a restaurant.

Accidental film strip — Reflections in rainwater create an accidental filmstrip.

Shatter-proof glass in the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Looking out on the Taichung cityscape from a broken window.

Given that the Qianyue Building is one of the most popular and well-explored ruins in the nation I won’t be going into my usual level of detail in this post. The entire building has been picked clean and thoroughly trashed so there wouldn’t be too much to say anyhow. In this case I’m going to let the pictures (and the accompanying captions) tell most of the story.

Main entrance to a cram school in the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — The front desk of an abandoned cram school in the Qianyue Building.

A cram school office in the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Exploring what remains of a former cram school in Taichung.

Ruins of a cram school in Taichung — Stalking the hallways of a ruined cram school in the Qianyue Building.

A room full of broken furniture at Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — A room full of broken furniture in the ruins of a cram school classroom.

Old couches at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Old couches and beds dumped in a former classroom.

A game of telephone — A game of broken telephone.

The beginnings of a forest in an abandoned building in Taichung — Life finds a way in this remote corner of the abandoned Qianyue Building.

Kiss MTV at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — The ground floor entrance to the various pubs, nightclubs, and KTVs on the upper levels.

Murky descent down the stairway of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Climbing the main stairway to the many entertainment businesses high in the Qianyue Building.

Inhabited residental floor at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — At least one of the higher levels is still inhabited!

28-08 Taichung abandoned chic — Not sure whether this is still in use or just for storage.

The layout of the Qianyue Building is somewhat confusing at first. There are actually two structures on site: a big building fronting onto the main street and a smaller one about half the size of the first that backs onto the electronics shopping street. Both buildings are connected with a series of bridges and stairways. Several small, traditional restaurants cling to life on the ground floor and a handful of more specialized shops haunt the second and third levels. Most of the rest of the building lies in ruin with one notable exception: the fifth floor has been converted into apartments, most of which still seem to be occupied. Look at the photos in this post and think about that for a moment. This building is home for about a dozen people! (And don’t get too close—a rather startling alarm will sound if you take a wrong turn on the residential level.)

The eastern block of Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Looking up at the eastern end of the Qianyue Building.

Peering down the middle of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Peering down the heart of the towering ruin of the Qianyue Building.

An urbex vista at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — On the lower rooftop of the Qianyue Building with First Square in the background.

One of the crumbling stairways up the back of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — A closer look at one of the crumbling stairwells leading up to the very top of the Qianyue Building.

Halfway up the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Halfway up the Qianyue Building.

The higher levels of the main building are the most interesting part of the entire complex. Here you will find the ruins of the pubs, nightclubs, and karaoke bars that used to attract revelers from all around the city in more prosperous times. As business began to falter at least one of these nightclubs turned into a hangout for migrant workers from Southeast Asia much like you’ll find today in the neighbouring First Square (第一廣場). It is here that the fire broke out in 2005, though little evidence of this remains. Perhaps it wasn’t a very serious blaze?

Nuff said at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Graffiti on the rooftop of the Qianyue Building with the distinctive spire of the nearby Golden Plaza in the background.

An abandoned nightclub in Taichung — Inside an abandoned nightclub in the Qianyue Building.

The entrance to another nightclub in Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — The lobby of another abandoned nightclub.

Behind the bar in Taichung — From behind the bar of an abandoned nightclub in Taichung.

Pure dance floor destruction — The view from the DJ booth: pure dance floor destruction!

VIP rooms at an abandoned nightclub in Taichung — Skulking around what might have been VIP rooms at an abandoned nightclub.

Abandoned piano at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — No sound has emanated from this broken piano in quite some time.

The most distinctive feature of the Qianyue Building is undoubtedly the round UFO-like tower on the rooftop that was once home to a KTV with a 360 degree view of the city. This tower isn’t particularly safe—you’ll notice several gaping holes in the floor of the upper levels—nor is the adjoining bathroom, which is also a regular fixture of photo shoots in the building. Watch your step when exploring this area!

Future ruins of Taichung — The famous UFO tower on top of the Qianyue Building.

The best view in Taichung — Yet another iconic image from the Qianyue Building: the bathroom with the best view in Taichung!

An abandoned KTV in Taichung — The entrance to the famous KTV on top of the Qianyue Building.

Inside the revolving KTV at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — One level up at the abandoned rooftop KTV.

UFO ceiling at the Qianyue Building 千越大樓

Sunset from the revolving KTV on top of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Mind your step on the highest level of the UFO tower; it’s a dangerous place!

The view from the abandoned KTV on top of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — The view from the abandoned KTV on top of the Qianyue Building at sunset.

Rare evidence of graffiti in the ruins of Taiwan — Wreckage on the rooftop of the Qianyue Building with the top of First Square visible across the street.

Sunset on the rooftop of the Qianyue Building 千越大樓 — Sunset on the rooftop of the Qianyue Building.

So there you have it: one of Taiwan’s most popular ruins, now available as part of my ongoing series of posts about the nation’s many abandonments. If you enjoyed this post I strongly recommend checking out the Qiáoyǒu Building (喬友大廈), a similar (but far less known) building in nearby Changhua City. Finally, for more about the Qianyue Building from the Taiwanese blogosphere try here and here.

Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.

警告：此處已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並做好相關安全防護措施。