Hsimenting was once Taipei's most sparkling diamond. Taiwan's unique Movie Street, row-upon-row of department stores, bars, coffee shops, large restaurants, entertainment establishments for singing, dance halls--from wealthy merchants to lower class people, no matter if you are shopping, or looking for entertainment, in Hsimenting you'll find everything under the sun and moon. You see, even into the wee hours, the flashing neon lights have captured the hearts of who-knows-how-many people.
The lights of Hsimenting are still burning bright yet many people fear the area. Today, taxi drivers are afraid of getting stuck in traffic jams. Drivers don't dare venture into Hsimenting since parking spots are few and far between. The working class has no interest in putting up with the crowds or dirt. Single men take every step with caution lest they be pulled into one of the local sex parlors under the guise of a barbershop.
People sigh, "Hsimenting has gone downhill."
Around 1971 when the Taipei City government completed the Hsinyi Plan for the eastern section of Taipei, people predicted that the fate of Hsimenting--this once rising business area--would change at the same time.
With the broad, straight streets in the eastern section of the city, and the high-class, modern office buildings and apartment buildings along the sides of the streets, and the parks in the making, the eastern district is like the sure winner in a game of chess gaining lead on the gradually aging Hsimenting.
Hordes of people create not only over-crowdedness, but also trash, noise, and public security problems. The quality of Hsimenting's environment can't keep up with the times, and also causes the middle-to high-class consumers to go to other areas to buy. The consumer buying power in Hsimenting isn't strong, and the district has become a meeting ground for a great many youths with lots of spare time on their hands. Although the waves of people don't seem to be subsiding, without a doubt it's a business situation of "quantity, not quality."
Many merchants in the bustling Hsimenting district say that business has dropped significantly over the past two years, and only amounts to twenty to thirty percent of what it used to be. On the other hand department stores in the eastern district have experienced large-scale growth. Department store owners are sighing, "The east is thriving, while the west is falling."
For the people of Taipei, the dream of rapid transit will soon become a reality. In the process of carrying out this dream, however, Hsimenting has become a knot of traffic jams.
Some people in the Hsimenting district say that besides changes over the past ten years, the construction of the subway, which will take six years, has brought with it dust, noise, and serious traffic congestion problems, which is one of the major reasons for the decline in business in the district.
Viewed from another angle, although Hsimenting is suffering the effects of the subway construction, the value of housing and land is the highest in Taipei; the rate of holding space in this section of Taipei has increased as much as 800 percent.
From July, 1983, when construction on the subway began, until now, five years have elapsed, and it's expected to reach completion next June.
The best way is to utilize the opportunity which the subway provides to improve traffic, construct new public facilities (roads and grassy areas), revitalize the city, and improve the quality of the environment. This will be a turning point for Hsimenting's future.
After the construction of the subway is complete, and before underground walkways are built, how to tear down the Chunghwa Marketplace, rebuild the Hsimenting Marketplace, and relocate homes of businessmen are even more arduous tasks.
In February this year, large investors, heads of department stores, and several hundred shop owners and residents formed the Hsimenting Business Center Revitalization Committee. Chen Kuo-hsing, executive of the committee, says that they aim to renew the glory of the old Hsimenting, and direct tomorrow's status of the business center. Being situated between the government and the people, it hopes to carry across the ideas of the government on the one hand, and reflect the desires of the people to the government on the other so that both sides may coordinate.
There's no way of telling just how effective the committee will be, but what's worth cheering about is that it clearly will not allow Hsimenting to turn into just another memory.
[Picture Caption]
After the construction of the subway is complete, traffic to the north and south should move smoothly.
Whenever the train passes by Hsimenting, traffic to the east and west is temporarily stopped as the crossing gates are let down.
Shooting a movie in Hsimenting attracts a wave of on-lookers in no time.
The old building and dirty interior of the Chunghwa Marketplace have caused her previous attraction to gradually fade.
There are more than 300 illegal buildings near the Li Chiao Temple, which have become an eyesore for Hsimenting.
The giant kaleidoscope of television screens plays music videos all day long. Many youths like to come, hang out, and watch.
The many hotels are just one of the special characteristics of Hsimenting.
Whenever the train passes by Hsimenting, traffic to the east and west is temporarily stopped as the crossing gates are let down.
After the construction of the subway is complete, traffic to the north and south should move smoothly.
The old building and dirty interior of the Chunghwa Marketplace have caused her previous attraction to gradually fade.
Shooting a movie in Hsimenting attracts a wave of on-lookers in no time.
There are more than 300 illegal buildings near the Li Chiao Temple, which have become an eyesore for Hsimenting.
The giant kaleidoscope of television screens plays music videos all day long. Many youths like to come, hang out, and watch.
The many hotels are just one of the special characteristics of Hsimenting.
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