Listening and looking
Looking at the clues they’ve gathered, the woman slowly tells her story. In the 1980s, the nine-story Tiantian Department Store opened up not far from there. Inside was a movie theater where she would go on dates. Today, though, it has lost its luster, and now the ground floor is a parking lot, with the rest in ruins. The players start asking her more questions, constantly butting in and interrupting as she talks about Yonghe Market. “Anyway this place will get demolished soon and you all still won’t care,” she spits coldly, noticing the players’ interest lies only in the clues and not at all in the local history. In fact, her words aren’t just for the sake of the game, but are also a reflection of the changes Taoyuan is undergoing.
Taking with them an old photo she gives them, the players head off for Chaoyang Forest Park, on the bank of Dongmen Creek, to look for “Granny Nakashi.” Surrounded by older people walking their dogs and taking strolls, Granny Nakashi blends in with the locals as she sits on her chair playing an accordion. The players greet her and, remembering the previous admonition to respect the locals, listen attentively to Granny Nakashi’s story instead of peppering her with questions.
Later on, as the game continues, they meet the attendant of the Zhenfu Temple, a “sea princess” in the Dongmen Creek pedestrian area, and a poet on Xinmin Old Street. Each character has vivid and rich memories, and in their dialogues with them, the players get a glimpse into the simpler life of early Taoyuan and a taste of the local hospitality.
Inside Yonghe Market, a character from the story recounts the history of Taoyuan’s Tiantian Department Store.