About Shengping Theater
The Stage
The earliest stage, built during the Taisho period in Japanese Rule, was originally located next to the Dongshan Inn at present-day No. 106 Jishan Street. It was a wooden two-story building occupying a small area. As the local population increased, it was overloaded from long-term use, leading the wooden structure into disrepair and eventually collapsed in a typhoon.
Shengping Zuo
During the Showa period, Wu Shu-sang, Zhou Tian-sheng and others jointly built a building at the intersection of Shuqi Road and Qingbian Road in Jiufen, and named it "Shengping Zuo", made of stone structure on the 1st floor and wood structure on the 2nd floor. The name "Shengping", means "prosperity in singing and dancing", and "Zuo" is the Japanese term for a performance venue.
The stage here was paved with a rotating track, which shows the advanced equipment at that time. In addition, for the convenience of cleaning, lift-up seats were designed, and four holes were dug under each of the two aisles on the 1st floor, where electric fans were installed to blow upwards, forming a simple "air-conditioner".
Shengping Theater
After World War II, it was renamed “Shengping Theater”, and was remodeled again in the 1950s. During the reconstruction, great care was taken in the selection of building materials and equipment, including the use of high-quality wood for the roof structure, and the asphalt felt covered on the roof. The original wooden structure of the second floor was replaced by hollow brick walls for better sound and heat insulation effects, and the theater equipment was configured in modern specifications.
Closure of the theater
In the 1970s, with the declining mining industry, the local population in Jiufen began to decrease, and the minecart tracks were removed. On top of that, with the start of three television stations, Shengping theater had lost its charm, and finally closed down at the end of the 1970s. The "Shengping" of the past quietly passed into history.
Transport Information
Train：
Take the Eastern Line from Taipei to Yilan or Hualien, get off at Ruifang Station, then walk about 100 meters to the Citizen’s Plaza next to Ruifang Police Station and then take the Keelung Bus (788) to Jinguashi.
Bus：
- Taipei-Jinguashi: Take a Keelung Bus from Taipei MRT’s Zhongxiao-Fuxing Station (Exit. No.2), pass through Ruifang and get off at “Jiu Dao Kou(Jiufen Old Street)” stop in Jiufen. Walk for around 15 minutes along Jishan Street to Shuqi Road, then walk down the steps for about five minutes to Qingbian Road and you will arrive.
- Keelung-Jinguashi: Take a Keelung Bus from Keelung Railway Station (in front of Renxiang Clinic) and get off at the “Jiu Dao Kou(Jiufen Old Street)” stop in Jiufen. Walk for around 15 minutes along Jishan Street to Shuqi Road, then walk down the steps for about 3 minutes to Qingbian Road and you will arrive.
Address of Shengping Theater: No. 137, Qingbian Road, Jiufen, Ruifang District, New Taipei City 22450
