Yilan Public Pawnshop

Date CapturedMay 2nd, 2020 at 07:02 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR IIApertureƒ / 3.5Shutter Speed1/25 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO400Exposure Value8.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

This two-story brick warehouse was built in 1930 as part of a government-run public pawnshop (公設質鋪) established under a 1919 imperial decree. These public pawnshops, modelled after the mont-de-piété system in continental Europe, offered low-interest loans to working-class residents as a social welfare measure. The original wooden office building was demolished in 2005, but the fortified warehouse survives with its characteristic heavy iron doors and multi-layered security windows. Designated a city monument in 2016, it is the only extant public pawnshop building in Yilan County and now houses offices and classrooms for the Xinmin Community Activity Center. Access it through the community center entrance in the alleyway.