Bopiliao Historic Block
Brief Introduction
Bopiliao Historic Block is one of the key
attractions of Wanhua District that portrays some of the oldest and most
historical architectures in the modern city life of Taipei. With a long history
dating back to 1799 when it was first known as “Fupiliao” (福皮寮街), this street has been revamped, and officially
opened to the public in 2009 again with a new appearance. Today, it serves not
only as a preserved attraction popular among tourists but also a site that
reminds and educates the locals of their traditional culture and history. This
includes a wide range of traditional shop houses from the Qing dynasty (1683 -
1895) to buildings constructed during the Japanese occupation, (1895–1945) till early post war periods.
Bopiliao lies within Kangding Road,
Guangzhou Street and Kunming Street in the Wanhua District and is one of the
most complete historical streets conserve in Taipei City. Some of its
significant historical meanings include being the main route from Bangka to
Guting Village in the Qing Dynasty. The end of Bopiliao Street used to be an
important military base during the Qing Dynasty, as well as this street has
witnessed the development of Bangka district. Therefore, centuries Old Street like Bopiliao has been successful
in impressing visitors who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding and
exposure of Taiwan’s rich and deep history.
The Education Center of Taipei City
This education center, being the gem
of the Bopiliao Historic Block, is a must-see historic tourist attraction. Opened
in 2006, it aims to collect, summarize and promote native history and culture
while managing and incorporating this information into local education
courses to enhance local students’ knowledge of the history and culture of
Taiwan.
Within the education
center are exhibits which describe the history of Bopiliao and its historical
role in the Wanhua district. This includes introducing the progressive development
of place names, specific features of architecture types and stories of old
stores and of legendary influential people that made a difference in Taiwan
(eg. George Leslie Mackay).
Snapshots of the exhibition
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An interactive puzzle that informs visitors how the name of this historic
street has changed over the years. E.g. During Qing Dynasty, the street was
named Fudiliao Street.
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Basic furniture used by the Taiwanese in the past.
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A view of the street from 2nd level of the Education Center.
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On top of this, there are permanent
exhibitions showcasing traditional Taiwanese education such as its imperial
examination system to the medical developments in Taiwan. Other ad-hoc
exhibitions change on a seasonal basis such as showcases on puppets.
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The Medical Development Exhibition vividly showcases the different herbs
and traditional medicine used by locals in Wanhua as well as how a typical
Chinese Medical Hall would look like in the past. It also gives an overview of
key doctors that helped to shape the medical field in Taipei today.
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A simulation of a classroom setting in Taiwan.
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An ad-hoc exhibition that showcases traditional stage puppets.
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Contact Information
Tel: (02) 2336-1704
Website: http://hcec.tp.edu.tw
Hours: 9:00 – 17:00 Tuesday
to Sunday. Closed on Mondays and holidays.
Other Historical Scenes
Along the street used to be shop houses
such as Sun Book Binding Company (one of the earliest binding company in
Taiwan) and the residence of famous doctors like Dr. Lu Chang.
While the facades of these shop
houses remain, these places now house interesting exhibits with a wide variety
of themes. This may include some art exhibitions that display architecture
designs to abstract paintings.
Interesting Facts
The name “Bopiliao” has interesting
origins. Some stories illustrate how the name was derived from the processing
of tree barks while others used the peeling of cow skin as an apt explanation of
how its name was first introduced.
Community projects initiated by Non-governmental
Organisation at Bopiliao is common. As they aim to revive people’s adore and
love for Wanhua, events such as inviting the old store, Changshou Tea Shop back
to its original location for a day has been carried out. These activities aim
to not only enhance greater cultural awareness among Wanhua residents, it also
allow the older generations to reminiscent one of their favourite past time –
to enjoy tea with a group of old buddies at Bopiliao.
Directions / Methods of
transportation to this destination(with map)
Bopiliao lies within
Kangding Road, Guangzhou Street and Kunming Street in the Wanhua District. It
is locaed along Lane 173, Kangding Road, beside Laosong Elementary School.
Address: No. 101 Guangzhou St., Wanhua Dist.,
Taipei City 108, Taiwan (R.O.C)
By Taipei Metro: LongShan Temple
Station (ShiYuan Road)
Buses to Longshan Temple Station:
Herping West Road:
1, 231, 234, 245, 263, 264, 265, 265
(right), 265 (left), 265 (night), 265 (interval bus), 628, 651, 656, 657, 658,
701, 702, 703, 703 (sub-line), 705, 907, Herping Line, blue 28, 201, 49, 527
Shiyuan Road:
49, 527, 673, 234, 265, 265 (right),
265 (left), 265 (night), 265 (interval bus), 38, 628, 673, 7
Kangding Road:
201, 205, 229, 231, 234, 242, 264,
38 (interval bus), 601, 62, 624, 628, 658, 701, 702, 703 (sub-line), 705, 9,
blue 29, 49, 527
By Rail: Wanhua Railway Station
Lao Song Elementary School (Guanlin Road)
218, 218 (direct), 302, 628, 673,
bleu 29
LongShan Junior High School (Naning Road)
202 (interval bus), 231, 245, 263,
265, 265 (right), 265 (left), 265 (night), 265 (interval bus), 310, 38, 601,
656, 657, 658, 701, 703, 703 (sub-line), 9
Such a pity that it is left empty. It serves little purpose nor does it educate to the people of Taipei. If it has been used as commercial purposes in recent times then that should be part of history and be preserved, regulated and made into good use like any other city.
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