Yilan Public Pawnshop

Date Captured

May 2nd, 2020 at 07:02 UTC

Camera

NIKON D3100

Lens

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

Aperture

ƒ / 3.5

Shutter Speed

1/25 sec

Focal Length

18.0 mm

ISO

400

Exposure Value

8.3 EV

Download

3600 × 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.