A couple of Taiwan posts – 2 – The Keelung Harbour Redevelopment – Why Does it have to be all or nothing?

Keelung is a Taiwanese city I’ve always had a major soft spot for – a short train ride from Taipei but it’s a city, like most port towns, that has a lot of atmosphere and had been at the centre of many of Taiwan’s major historical moments. Since earlier this year protestors and activists have been campaigning to save the historic wharf buildings (I blogged about it back in February here – here they are below). I’m not sure about the current state of the buildings but there are now images of the new proposed Harbour Service Building – below. The question preservation campaigners have been asking is why the new development could not have incorporated the older buildings? Must it be an all or nothing battle between old and new or can the former inform the latter and retain history? Quite what will happen I do not know but Keelung is not often a site of regional and global preservationist interest, but it does deserve to be….

Some more great Keelung architecture here (taken in 2010)

A post of Keelung’s Ershawan Fort here

Keelung’s monument to Prince Kitashirakawa here

A post on Keelung’s French Cemetery here

the marvellous Keelung Harbour Integrated Administration Building here