Spectral Codex

Changle Theater

大樹昌樂大戲院

Changle Theater

Locations
; updated on

The imposing ruin of Changle Theater (昌樂大戲院) towers over the somnolent streets of central Dashu, a suburban district of Kaohsiung sprawling along the right bank of the silty Gaoping River (高屏溪). Its predecessor, Guangming Theater (光明戲院), was built in the 1950s and later purchased by Xǔ Kāichuán (許開傳), the former chairman of the township mediation committee. Dashu was booming in those days, buoyed by the presence of numerous military bases in the area, so Xu purchased land behind the existing theater to construct a larger, more modern theater in 1960. Guangming Theater was soon demolished, clearing space for a small yet bustling entertainment district to form around the plaza, likely featuring billiard halls, restaurants, teahouses, and dessert shops catering to the raucous crowds spilling out from the theater night after night.

A first glance at Changle Theater from the street.
A first glance at Changle Theater from the street.
The imposing ruin of Changle Theater.
The imposing ruin of Changle Theater.
An oblique look at the hulking ruin in the heart of this old town.
An oblique look at the hulking ruin in the heart of this old town.

Changle Theater adheres to a pattern of design typical of 1960s Taiwanese cinemas with a ticket booth and commercial space on the ground floor and a large, singular auditorium capable of accommodating approximately 750 patrons upstairs. The façade is plain and unremarkable as hand-painted signs would have been displayed out front, advertising the latest films and performances. Ventilation shafts line the corridors on the second floor, providing some respite from the oppressive heat of summer, but the interior was likely air conditioned.

Colorful vintage tiles adorn the former ticket booth.
Colorful vintage tiles adorn the former ticket booth.
Ventilation typical of 1960s architecture in Taiwan line a corridor on the second floor.
Ventilation typical of 1960s architecture in Taiwan line a corridor on the second floor.
Faded traces of a movie poster for Superboy (新飛天神童), released in 1982.
Faded traces of a movie poster for Superboy (新飛天神童), released in 1982.

Business boomed through the 1960s and into the 1970s but the introduction of the Three Old Channels (老三台), free-to-air television stations introduced from 1962 to 1971, and the popularization of home television slowly eroded audiences. Regular film screenings were still held into the 1980s, as evidenced by the faded remnants of a movie poster for Superboy (新飛天神童)1, released in 1982, still clinging to an interior wall, but the theater might have also turned to more risqué forms of entertainment as consumer habits changed. The final curtain fell in 1987 after nearly three decades of operation2.

Blood red paint indicates we’ve arrived at the “screening room” (放映室).
Blood red paint indicates we’ve arrived at the “screening room” (放映室).
Rusty old projectors in the dark.
Rusty old projectors in the dark.
This one lacks the carbon arc lamp.
This one lacks the carbon arc lamp.
Light switches in the projection room.
Light switches in the projection room.
Peeking through one of the portholes.
Peeking through one of the portholes.
The view from the projection room.
The view from the projection room.
A closer look at the ruined stage. The name of the old theater is prominently displayed on the banner at the top.
A closer look at the ruined stage. The name of the old theater is prominently displayed on the banner at the top.
Looking back at the main hall. All the seats have been removed.
Looking back at the main hall. All the seats have been removed.
Old theater seats in the outer corridors.
Old theater seats in the outer corridors.
Living quarters in the old theater. It wasn’t uncommon for the projectionist to reside at the theater in those days.
Living quarters in the old theater. It wasn’t uncommon for the projectionist to reside at the theater in those days.
Film reels turning into mulch.
Film reels turning into mulch.
An old ticket found in a dark room.
An old ticket found in a dark room.
This way to the emergency exit.
This way to the emergency exit.
One last visit to the restroom.
One last visit to the restroom.
The old theater hall in black and white.
The old theater hall in black and white.
Around back at the old theater in Dashu.
Around back at the old theater in Dashu.

Following the closure of the theater it was sold to a developer who subsequently absconded without completing payment. This triggered a property rights dispute that remains unresolved decades later. Such legal complications inhibit any attempt at revitalization3 or demolition, leaving the old theater in a state of limbo, preserving it as a time capsule of Taiwan’s cinematic past.

Footnotes

  1. A more legible copy of this same posted can be found here in the digital collections of the National Museum of Taiwan History. ↩

  2. The date of closure is confirmed by Xu Linghua (許鈴華), the daughter of the owner, in this article from The Liberty Times. ↩

  3. Renewed interest in the old theater was prompted by a student group from the I-Shou University Department of Film and Television (義守大學影視系學) producing a short film here in 2023. ↩

Links

Visitation Log

Themes

Series: Southern Taiwan Ride 2018

Dispatches from a weeklong bicycle trip around southern Taiwan in late 2018. I began the ride in Tainan, crossed into Qishan, headed into the mountainous interior as far as Liugui, did a loop through Pingtung, and finished around Zuoying, visiting the sites of nearly 25 old movie theaters. Many entries remain to be added; this series is far from over.

Map
Address: 高雄市大樹區中興北路安樂巷1號

Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.

警告：此地點已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並採取適當的安全防範措施。

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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.