1988 A New Era of Liberalization Begins

With that move, freedom of speech and of thought were finally allowed to flourish. Virtually every other day a new news organization was established, and battles of words and for staff quickly erupted across the industry.

Today, in this age of information overload and instant access, it can be hard to imagine what life was like back then, so let us be your guide back to that time of excitement at the idea of freedom of speech.

This wasn’t the only transformation that 1988 brought with it. Xi­men­ding, once a gateway to Old Tai­pei, was also at a crossroads as the railway was moved underground.

Back then, Xi­men­ding’s Zhong­hua Road was still home to the fabulous, fantastical market featured in novelist Wu Ming-yi’s The Magician on the Skywalk. As the power of transformation swept across this bustling area, Xi­men­ding had to confront both the challenge of the glamour of the rising Eastern Taipei and the growing nostalgia for past glories brought on by the plan to move the railway underground and the pending demolition of the Zhong­hua Market. Sinorama’s reports from that time open a window on the tumultuous transformations that marked 1988 in Taiwan.

The 1980s were a time of transformation for Taiwan, not just in politics, but also in urban geography, with places like Taipei’s Ximending and Zhonghua Market at the crossroads of change.

The 1980s were a time of transformation for Taiwan, not just in politics, but also in urban geography, with places like Taipei’s Ximending and Zhonghua Market at the crossroads of change.

The 1980s were a time of transformation for Taiwan, not just in politics, but also in urban geography, with places like Taipei’s Ximending and Zhonghua Market at the crossroads of change.