陽明戲院

June 30th, 2024

Yángmíng Theater (陽明戲院) was, until recently, the oldest cinema in continuous operation in Taipei, Taiwan. Established by Shilin area business tycoons Zhao Huomu (趙火木), Su Fuzhong (蘇福忠), Chen Chengyan (陳承岩), and others, it opened to great fanfare in May 1955, anchoring the early development of Shilin Night Market (士林夜市), now one of the country’s most visited tourist attractions. Hong Chongmin (洪聰敏) acquired a majority stake in the theater in 1960, and it has been run by his family ever since.

Outside Yangming Theater on a hot afternoon.

A closer look at the distinctive façade.

Rusty and worn but still serving a purpose.

An oblique view of the now-vanished theater.

Snack vendors began setting up in the late afternoon.

Crowds grow as dusky skies begin to settle over the old theater.

One of the main entrances to Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) is the alleyway just to the right.

A relatively quiescent scene in the theater’s last year of operation.

Four halls allowed for some variety in programming.

Since I had some advance notice this theater was due to close I found time to catch a screening of Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood. It wasn’t very much to my liking, but I rarely manage to see the interior of these theaters before they disappear.

The subdivided interior featured some smaller halls.

The equipment was definitely showing its age for this screening.

Last chance to see a film at the oldest theater in Taipei.

Not long after closing, Yangming Theater was finally demolished in the summer of 2020. Work on the commercial tower that will replace it began almost immediately. Soon something new will grow from the ashes of this now-vanished landmark.

Note: this location has vanished. Any information presented here is only for reference.

提醒：此地點已消失，本文僅供參考用途。