| 《 社區討論版 》 |
| 三峽老街近期活動 |
發起人 kokokeeper
 2007-02-08 21:10:13 IP:125.232.136.*** Sanxia Old Street opens this weekend to bring back days gone by 02/07/2007 (Liberty Times) After three long years of restoration and a price tag reaching NT$300 million (US$92 million), the Sanxia Old Street opened on Tuesday with County Governor Chou Hsi-wei officially declaring the byway open. Two days of ceremonies will follow on February 10 and 11 with everyone welcome to turn out and enjoy the fun. The County Government's Office of Cities and Towns says that the celebration of the reopening of the Old Street will be held on the 10th and 11th of this month and will be themed "Play this Spring: the Grand Opening of Sanxia Old Street." Traditional arts performances will be on tap, along with games for the kids, and visits to the Tzushi Temple, the Limeishu Memorial Hall and the Sanxia Museum of History await the visitor. For tourists, it's a great opportunity to don antique clothing and visit the Old Street, where one can get a finely crafted pocket with a collectible Sanxia magnet inside. Apart from the events scheduled for these two days, the Old Street will also see a gala event from Chinese New Year through the Lantern Festival, including ceremonies at the Chingshuitzu Temple on February 18, the "Holy Pig" ceremony on the 23rd and an old-time market on March 4. Sanxia was an early center of maritime shipping for northern Taiwan, which was responsible for the development of Danshui, Dadao and Xinzhuang Old Streets as well as the ones in Sanxia and Daxi. Today, the ships no longer ply this route as they did before, and the Old Streets of Dadao and Xinzhuang have lost their old hustle and bustle, with only those in Sanxia and Daxi still retaining original architecture and buildings more or less intact. The Sanxia Old Street took form some 6 decades ago, back in 1955. Its Baroque style architecture was sandwiched in with Renaissance and Japanese styles, with red bricks and arched passageways attracting many people eager for a bargain. Positioned cheek by jowl with the harbor docks, during the period of Japanese rule this area was the center of boat shipments in Sanxia, and in these streets were clustered all sorts of businesses, including dye shops, fruit stands, hardware shops, coffin stores and more. After Retrocession, most shipping began to move over land routes, and the Old Street gradually fell into decline. The old buildings were constantly being torn down to make way for new structures, and a debate arose between the government, which espoused the preservation of historic relics, and property owners wishing to update. After many years of talks, however, the renovation of this area has finally come to fruition. Before the renovation of the Old Street was complete, it was lined with many cramped old storefronts of just a few square meters each, all stuffed with a myriad of articles for everyday life and toys popular during the period of Japanese rule and the early days after Retrocession, such as the famous wooden water buckets made of cypress wood which served as refrigerators for the wealthy. Here too one could see printed slogans like "Always keep vigilant against spies, do not wrong good people" and "Take back the Mainland and save our compatriots," and even underpants made from 50-kilo flour sacks. Chang Bang-hsi, director of the Office of Cities and Towns, says that the Old Street preservation project has striven to maintain almost everything about the area's former appearance, from the storefronts to the drainage ditch covers. It may be the best-preserved such street in all of Taiwan, with unique architectural features. The office hopes that visitors to the street will enjoy not only the building features but will also feel a bit of the spirit of the place as well. The Old Street has gradually been transformed fro a residential area to a commercial one, and new business is continuing to move in today. Antique shops, tea houses, variety stores and even an oldtime specialty, a coffin shop, have all come in; one elderly man who had a sneak preview of the area remarked that walking down the street was like going back in time to his youth. The street organizing committee says that there are over 30 new Old Street shops, featuring books, tea houses, variety stores, and even an old-fashioned furniture store, dyed fashion house, leather goods, and shoe shop. Browsers say that an old master can still be seen cutting up huge blocks of ice -- and of course no such place would be complete without a traditional shaved ice shop to supply treats. Shop owners say that the old, cramped and falling-down shops were a liability in the past, but now they are renovated, clean and spacious, with new glass windows and display cases. Passers-by can look in and see toys, jewelry, and movie posters and experience a taste of days gone by. Chen Chia-hsuan, the mayor of Sanxia, says that the Old Street in Yingge sees about 1 million visitors per year, and Sanxia will likely do even better. DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... |
回應者:pkrabit
2007-02-09 01:07:34 IP:61.62.3.***
Thanks for kokokeeper's sharing, although we have another plan this weekend, we must visit there during our Chinese New Year holidays. |
