Remnants of an Empire
(ABOVE) Near the main original gate of National Taiwan University (formerly Taihoku Imperial University)
(ABOVE) A refurbished room of a former Japanese bath house in Xinbeitou
When I arrived here in Taipei, I was expecting to find nothing left from the time period of Japanese occupation of Taiwan. After taking in some of the sights, I unexpectedly ran into a few remaining pieces from the Japanese occupation. First, I stumbled upon National Taiwan University. This university was founded during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan and originally named Taihoku Imperial University. Now it is currently one of the top universities in Taiwan. Second, I found my way to the Xinbeitou district. Here, I found a former colonial Japanese bathhouse converted into a museum about the regions’ hot springs. Both sites were a part of daily life during the colonial era and are still currently in operation. Instead of tracing the history of how people traveled post-war, it was interesting to examine what became of the colonial sites abandoned by those who returned home.
-Trevor Ezaki
