新北投 Xinbeitou Hsinbeitou Train Station

Sometimes, when you get on Taipei Metro Red Line to go to Tamsui, you may inadvertently enter the cars going to 新北投Xinbeitou (it should be spelled Hsinbeitou). On the map, the tiny extension, more like an appendage attaching to Beitou, can be seen up close:

Upper left, MRT Red Line extension from Beitou to Xinbeitou

This extension in fact opened for business in April, 1916, ferrying passengers to Beitou's famed hot spring resorts [*]. It was rebuilt together with Taipei Metro in 1988. Instead of demolition, the old train station itself (below) was relocated to Changhua and preserved in Taiwan Heritage Village until recently when the village ran into management difficulties.  

Today, six pieces of the structure are placed in wooden gift boxes and carried by a wedding palanquin花轎 to Changhua Station. From there, the boxes are sent off and arrive in Taipei Station where they, symbols of Hsinbeitou station, are welcomed home in a celebratory ceremony. After 26 years, the old girl has finally come back to where she belongs. The station will be re-assembled in 七星公園, 50 meters from the original site.

This is an amazing feat. Next on the agenda will the coming-home of steam engine BK24 to Tamsui, now on pointless display on the campus of 成大Cheng Kung University in Tainan.

[*]There is a passage in the British Consulate Report of 1937 (when the 2nd Sino-Japanese war broke out) recording a unique use of the train: "It has been the custom for the gayer spirits of the capital [Taipei] to motor out with their lady friends for an evening's amusement at the hot-spring resort of Hokuto [北投]. On the road there is a bridge with sentries posted. For several weeks these stopped all cars after dark, and took it upon themselves to act as censors of morals. In the cases described, it would be suggested that the pleasure-seekers would do well to reconsider their plan, and hand over to the sentry such funds as they carry, for the defence of their country. Cars are now out of fashion; the man and his lady friends go independently, the one by train, the other by bus."

Bullet holes

Mr 周明德Chou Ming-Der, the famed Tamsui historian and renowned meteorologist, took this picture in 2000. It shows a house with bullet holes, a reminder of US air raids in 1944-45. This was Mr 洪開元Hong Kai-Yuan's house, built with 36.4-cm bricks, different from the conventional 24-cm walls, hence no damages to the interior:

This house was located diagonally across Chung Chen Road from MaZu Temple媽祖宮.

In the absence of air defense, American fighter-bombers, after finishing their scheduled bombing runs elsewhere in Taiwan, often unloaded their unspent ammunition on Tamsui which happened to be a landmark on their return routes.

Mr Chou's father Mr 周炳銘 was among the 20 Tamsui-lang killed in the air raid of Oct 12, 1944, that had targeted the seaplane port, although other parts of Tamsui were also attacked.

For much more on the old Tamsui, please see Mr Chou's new book:

The Ogura maps

A very knowledgeable reader Yosh has commented that the survey map of Tamsui dated Feb, Meiji Year 32 [1899] (here) may not be authentic. In his very informative post (http://www.geocities.jp/yosh_3jp/taiwan2/Takao99.html), Yosh pointed out that 1) additional explanation on the map was in English while it was a Japanese military document, 2) 小倉寛一郎 [Ogura Hiroshi-ichiro] was the correct name, not the "小倉寛一" on the map [and indeed, a Japanese would not have made such a mistake, let alone an IJN officer], and 3) no IJN record of the participation of Capt 小掠元吉 in the Tamsui survey. In addition, the true original map appears to be this one, dated March, Meiji Year 32:

The legend shows the surveyors were Capt 小倉寛一郎 and Lt 飯山仁三郎, both based on gunboat 操江Soukou:

砲艦操江Gunboat Soukou, capture by IJN from the Qing North Sea Fleet
during the first Sino-Japanese war in 1894

A bit more on Capt Ogura: A year after the Tamsui survey, he graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy. He was injured on Aug 10, 1904, while fighting in the Yellow Sea during the Russo-Japanese war, and killed in action on Dec 13 in the same year, as the Chief Navigator of Battleship Takasago

Taipei Song Shan Airport

Taipei Song Shan松山 Airport

Taipei 松山機場Song Shan Airport was originally built by the Japanese in 1936 (松山 is pronounced Matsuyama in Japanese) as a military airbase. After 1946, it was used as an international port of entry until 1979 when the much larger CKS (now Taoyuan) International Airport took over. It has remained underused as a domestic airport. Unfortunately, after the inauguration of Taiwan HSR in 2008, domestic flights could no longer stay competitive; although this was also when cross-strait direct flights gave the airport a new lease on life. It has since been renovated (above), with Terminal 1 receiving international passengers and, starting in 2011, Terminal 2, for domestic flights.

Principally because of the high real estate value of the land on which 松山機場 occupies, plus the many flight restrictions required for safety reasons, there have been calls for a relocation. The question is where can the airport move to. If history is of any guide, there may be two possibilities.

During the Pacific War, the Japanese had built 71 airports in Taiwan (including the seaplane port in Tamsui); detailed records of 46 remained intact while the rest were long lost. After the Nationalist Gov't takeover of Taiwan in 1945, only two, 松山 and 岡山 airports, were slated to be retained. However, starting in 1947, more were resurrected, repaired, and drafted into services again.

Records show that there were actually three military airports in Taipei: 松山機場, the unfinished 南機場, and an unknown airport in 板橋. According to 杜正宇 and 吳建昇, in their 日治下臺南永康機場的時空記憶 [台灣文獻 Vol 63, pp 229-284, 2012]:

"...松山機場就是日本海軍臺北飛行場。此外，美軍在臺北州（Taihoko）的攻擊目標中，除了松山機場外，亦有一座板橋機場(Itahashi）。除標定為第54攻擊目標，並註明此為主要目標。觀其地圖所示，此機場位於松山機場（Matsuyama）西南方，三條河川交會處（經比對後，應為淡水河、大漢溪、新店溪）之南，確實在板橋一帶。根據〈臺灣日陸海軍飛機場一覽圖〉，當時臺北地區標示了三座機場：海軍機場一座、陸軍機場兩座。由於臺北有海軍使用的松山機場與尚未完工，應屬陸軍的臺北（南）機場，因此這座板橋機場，或有可能亦是陸軍的飛行場。"
Translation: "...Matsuyama Airport was the IJN Taipei Airbase. In addition, among the US targets in Taipei-shu, other than Matsuyama, there was also the Itahashi Airbase, designated Target No 54 and noted as a main target. The US map showed that this airbase was located southwest of Matsuyama, south of the junction of three rivers (most likely Tamsui, Da-Han, and Xindian Rivers), within Banqiao area. According to post-war records, Taipei area did have three airbases, one for the IJN, and two, IJA. Since Matsuyama is known to be a naval airbase, and the unfinished Taipei South Airbase, the army, the one in Banqiao must also had been an army airbase."

Therefore, two possible locations for 松山機場 to move to, i.e., 萬華Wanhua and 板橋Banqiao. Part of the land is probably still owned by the state; however, acquiring the rest of the land by eminent domain is certain to encounter great public resistance. In addition, Taiwan HSR also travels through both these districts. All things considered, relocation of 松山機場 to either place or, in fact, anywhere within Taipei City proper may not become a reality at all.

淡水輕軌

淡水輕軌官方宣傳影片

Maps and pictures of old Tamsui

This map was dated Feb 28, 1899 (明治Meiji year 32), almost 4 years after Japan took over Taiwan:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a2.html

It was based on a map originally from British Admiralty with updated surveys done by IJN Capt 小掠元吉 and engineer 大林正作, and finalized by Capt 小倉寬一[郎], all of whom were attached to HIMS Kaimon [His Imperial Majesty's Ship 海門], a sail-and-steam sloop-of-war:

HIMS Kaimon 海門 (1884-1905)

 A section of the map is shown below:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a3.html

In which, the British Consulate and Ft San Domingo are both clearly marked.

A map of 1925 (below) shows that 滬尾 was now designated 淡水街; on the other hand, 油車口 remained unchanged:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a4.html

Also marked are 砲臺埔, 烽火[街], 郡役所the Town Hall, and 郵便局Post Office; the Post Office, however, appears mislabeled (although it could have been the original location).

A 1908 photo of Tamsui:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a7.html

This photo shows the 媽祖宮 (or 福祐宮, MaZu Temple, center right). In front of the trees, the open area is later known as 三角窗 or 小公園. The Mackay Clinic with its distinct white walls also can be seen. Tamsui Presbyterian Church had not been built yet at that time (not until 1933), it can be seen in the photo below:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/ad.html

To the right of the Presbyterian Church in the photo above is 郵便局the Post Office.

Photos of the riverside taken during the Japanese Era are shown below. This was at a time when junks from China were still allowed into Tamsui Port, after the once-largest seaport in Taiwan, that had seen the arrival and departure of giant ocean liners and cargo ships, became defunct:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/af.html

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a8.html

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/ac.html

Battle of Fisherman's Wharf in progress

The Battle of Fisherman's Wharf has already been described in detail in this blog, see: http://danshuihistory.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html

Another scene of the battle is depicted in this painting (artist and date both unknown). The battle started on Oct 8, 1884, first with heavy gun bombardments from French warships [lower right]. Local commander 提督孫開華 was in charge with eight battalions of defense force plus 100 artillery men [upper left]. At 10AM, five companies of French fusiliers marins landed on the beach [loaded landing crafts can be seen approaching the beach] to start the assult: 

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a1.html

The light tower [above, top middle], used by the French as a landmark has long since disappeared. It fell into disrepair during the Japanese Colonial rule. In the heydays of the Tamsui Port in the Qing era, the light tower served well but was deemed inadequate during the Japanese rule when large ocean liners visited the port, and a taller, hence more visible one was built next to it.

Here is an old photo (below), structure on the left was the original, one to the right was the new tower, both of which were lost soon after Tamsui ceased to function as a seaport:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a6.html

This photo shows the entrance to the area of the light towers. The tall structure in the background (left) was the new light tower:

Source: http://taipics.com/taipei_danshui.php

The original commercial light tower was the first of its kind in Taiwan, known forever to the locals as 望高樓. A stone tablet recording its purpose, construction and maintenance, and the name list of committee members, dated 嘉慶九年 (1796), can still be seen inside 媽祖宮 the MaZu Temple on Chung Cheng Road today: