Department of Cultural Affairs

December 3, 2022, 2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Old Taipei City built in the late Qing dynasty consisted of five city gates and four city walls and was the political and economic center of the time. Urban reform during the Japanese colonial period led to the city walls and west gate being demolished. After the Kuomintang government relocated to Taiwan, the economy took off and Taipei’s development center began to shift eastward. 

Today, the outline of Old Taipei City no longer exists, but it remains home to many major government agencies. Walking around the city, you can still trace the extent of the Old Taipei City area of 100 years ago by looking at the city gates, streets, and architectural traces that have been preserved to this day. 

In this lecture, National Taipei University of Technology lecturer Yang Ning-Yao (楊甯堯) will take you on a journey to retrace the different histories of the city and its architecture through the varied forms and structures found in Taipei City through different eras.