Yonghe Miramar Theater (美麗華戲院) - Spectral Codex
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美麗華戲院

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Miramar Theater (美麗華戲院) was located on the top floors of Yongli Market (永利市場), the inner core of a mixed-use complex in Yonghe, one of the more densely populated satellite cities of New Taipei. It was founded by movie tycoon Liao Zhide (廖治德)1 in 1981, opening as a discount second-run theater with six halls. Over the years it remained popular, especially with college students, and is regularly cited in nostalgic posts about the history of cinema in Yonghe. The theater closed in 2010 after a brief period where six halls were reduced to two to save on operating costs.

Yongli Market and the former Miramar Theater don’t look like much from the street.
Yongli Market and the former Miramar Theater don’t look like much from the street.
The shredded remains of an old movie poster for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (特種部隊：眼鏡蛇的崛起), released in 2009, hang from a metal frame.
The shredded remains of an old movie poster for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (特種部隊：眼鏡蛇的崛起), released in 2009, hang from a metal frame.
The most obvious relic of Miramar Theater is the old neon sign still hanging next to where movie posters were once displayed.
The most obvious relic of Miramar Theater is the old neon sign still hanging next to where movie posters were once displayed.
Another look at the sign from the walkways on the second level.
Another look at the sign from the walkways on the second level.

Although the scale of this complex is not nearly as large as the nearby Chenggong Market (成功市場), home of the infamous Fuhe Theater (福和大戲院), the design is similar. There is an outer rim of shops facing the streets, an upper level of residential units, and a traditional market in the center. In this case the formal name is Yǒnglì Market (永利市場), though the first and second floor of the traditional market were later converted into a department store and rebranded Gogo Mall (GOGO商場) around 1997. Apparently the mall only operated for a few years before closing down, likely due to strong competition with the more modern and larger-scale malls that opened in Yonghe in the early years of the new millennium.

A glimpse of the former market building within the complex. The sign for Gogo Mall has not yet been removed in this photo from 2015.
A glimpse of the former market building within the complex. The sign for Gogo Mall has not yet been removed in this photo from 2015.
Looking up at the rusted remains of the old Gogo Mall sign.
Looking up at the rusted remains of the old Gogo Mall sign.
There was a movie theater in this building years ago. Looking closely at the four squares over the entrance one can faintly discern the characters for Yongli Market (永利市場) when read right-to-left.
There was a movie theater in this building years ago. Looking closely at the four squares over the entrance one can faintly discern the characters for Yongli Market (永利市場) when read right-to-left.
Around the back of the oddly-shaped market building inside the complex once home to Miramar Theater.
Around the back of the oddly-shaped market building inside the complex once home to Miramar Theater.

Since closing in 2010 the site of the old theater and derelict mall has become an eyesore and public hygiene concern for nearby residents. Due to complicated and fragmented ownership rights it has been hard to get everyone to agree on a revitalization plan, letting the uncertainty drag on for years. As of 2023 there is renewed discussion of taking action as prompted by the city, which identified this building as one of several in dire need of revitalization in some form. Whether this latest round of interest will lead to any concrete action remains to be seen.

Revisiting in 2017 the rusty sign had been removed, leaving only an imprint.
Revisiting in 2017 the rusty sign had been removed, leaving only an imprint.
I hope this old neon sign is preserved whenever it comes down.
I hope this old neon sign is preserved whenever it comes down.

As for my own personal reflections, this was one of the earliest theaters I located through online research2, and I visited the site in 2015 and 2017 to take the photos seen in this entry. On neither occasion did I enter the building, which was sealed up tight, with lights on in a mostly empty interior during my second visit.

Footnotes

  1. Liao Zhide was later the chairman of the popular Showtime Cinemas chain, which still operates numerous entertainment venues around the country. He was widely known for his business acumen and thriftiness, and was proud of living with his family in this very building until around 2012. Read more about Liao in this old blog post, which may disappear at any time. ↩

  2. This nostalgic post on PTT is where I learned about many of the old theaters of Yonghe. ↩

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Address: 新北市永和區永貞路62號

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Author

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.