Taipei City Government

I. Preface

Due to the land development and the reconstruction of the military families’ quarters for the Xinyi Project Area, all residents of Si-Si Nan Cun (The Village) moved out in 1999. The buildings were destined for demolition. However, the former residents and members of cultural associations provoked a preservation movement for The Village and this gave birth to the Si-Si Nan Cun Culture and History Studio. The Cultural Heritage Evaluation Committee, Taipei City, considered The Village an “historic edifice”, and made a plan to preserve and rebuild four structures. On October 25, 2003, the Xinyi Public Assembly Hall and Cultural Park was inaugurated. It covers a ground area of about 137.2 acres with a buildings area of about 23.8 acres including the Special Exhibition House, Military Dependents Exhibition House, Display House and Community House, Central Square and Culture Park.

II. Historical path, Moving to Taiwan at War

At the end of 1948 with the civil war raging between the Kuomintang and Communist Party, servicemen of the Joint Services Command’s 44th Arsenal and their dependents living in Qingdao City in Mainland China boarded Tai-Kang Ships and arrived at Keelung Port in Taiwan. They moved to Taipei City and occupied a former Japanese Army depot which had been used during the time of Japanese occupation. It was reassigned to the 44th Arsenal, Joint Services Command.
At first, the servicemen and their dependents took the 44th Arsenal to be a temporary shelter believing that they would return home to Qingdao within 6 months to a year. Due to their believing that the depot was a temporary shelter, the inhabitants used only the most basic “construction” (indeed what served as walls separating the families were often nothing more than bed sheets). In the meantime, they started to build Si-Si Nan Cun. Owing to their increasing population, Si-Si Dong Cun (44th East Village) and Si-Si Xi Cun (44th West Village) were constructed for further expansion. By 1951 three villages had been constructed. By the year 2000 The Village had been the home for these honorable servicemen and their dependents for nearly half a century.

III. Space Modeling and Structure

1. Content:
A. Description of building features and space structure:
The architectural planning for Si-Si Nan Cun utilized the disciplinary and mass control model from the traditional military families quarters, which were spread in neat formation like a fish skeleton. The structure and materials for the main construction body were originally made from pieces of bamboo that were stuck together with calcium hydrate mud. Later on, a brick wall was added.
B. In earlier days, Si-Si Nan Cun was divided into three building groups, A, B and C. A group was located to the west of Zhuang-Jing Road, B group was in the east of Zhuang-Jing Road, and C group was next to the east of B group and neighboring Xinyi Elementary School.
C. House compartments: In earlier days, a housing unit was about 11.59 square meters without bathroom, toilet, and kitchen. Living in such quarters was very inconvenient. Bath water was taken from public faucets and people used public toilets. Later on, the living quality improved and villagers increased indoor space by setting up hammocks indoors, building kitchens, bathrooms, or rooms on the passages next to their homes, or cutting windows through the pitched roofs.
D. Narrow alleys in the Village were the most attractive. Usually these alleys were very narrow, main doors facing each other one on one. The common scenes were of people chatting while standing in their doorways. Women in particular, usually sat in front their own doors knitting, or washing fruits and vegetables for the next meal. These narrow alleys were actually the important social activity place for the women.
E. Lampposts: In earlier days, electricity was provided from 6am to 8am, from 12pm to 1 pm and from 6pm to 12pm. After midnight, a lamppost was the only light source. When competition to enter universities increased, quite often you could see many students studying hard under lampposts.
F. Blockhouse: There were some blockhouses in the Village for military use. However, after the 1970's, they were abandoned and gradually became storage or playgrounds for children.
1. Introductory: Having entered Military Dependant Display House, it seems that we go back to the old time, to the Village in history. From hometown nostalgia, the poem by Yu, Guang-Zhong to the time treasure box fabricated with the inhabitants' own hands, gradually we walk into and feel their nostalgia caused by leaving hometown and the source of odyssey.
2. Forty four part Giant Dragon: The Dragon is made of 44 parts. Before the Arsenal, moved to San-Xia, on occasions of Lunar New Years, Double Tenth National Days and other important festivals, the dancing Dragon will be performed as the last (but one) program in the shows.
3. Don't ask where I am from. My hometown is far away. (Title): Since the outbreak of Anti-Japanese War, the Arsenal moved again and again. From Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunan, Guizhou, Qingdao till Taipei, the villagers migrated constantly like rootless duckweed far away from home.
4. Where to in the future: Siding with the change of general environment, the second generation of the villagers continuously moved out of the Village to every corner of the world for their own dream.
5. Burying in mind, the gilded golden memory
6. Stolen moment of leisure time (title): For the villagers working day and night in order to raise a family, moment of leisure was hard to come by. When time was found, common entertainments were playing chess and mahjong, window shopping at San-Zhang-Li and Xi-Men-Ding, and attending various activities held by the Arsenal such as Si-Ping Peking opera team, theater team, basketball team, volleyball team and writing classes.
7. Military dependant quarters literature: Many years ago, the content of military dependant quarters literature centered on deliberate writing on the dreams of fighting back to Mainland, recovering the country or returning home gloriously as well as the war memory and hometown nostalgia in the military when they were young. Later on with the appearance of the second generation, “growth literature” mode was gradually included in military dependant quarters literature such as “Not Ended” by Zhu, Tian-Xin, “Fate in Thousand Miles” by Su,Wei-Zhen and “Fifth Grader Time” by Zhang, Guo-Li in 90's, which all reflected the contracted imaginations from the authors' childhood memories. Certain themes came out of this community like: gangster friendship in dependant quarters such as “The Juvenile Murder on Gu-Ling Street”, the bondage of pressure of entering higher education, the rebellious outbreak of puberty, the enlightenment or burst of sex conscience such as “Fifth Grader Time” & “Leaving Same Side”, and the desire of exodus such as “I am from a military dependant quarter”. Those were incessantly emerging topics in military dependant quarter literature.
8. Cannon ball lamps: They were made from scraped cannon ball by earlier villagers.
9. Playing around: Many years ago, there was undeveloped land surrounding the Arsenal. Then Keelung Road was a river not covered yet, with many tributaries. The villagers could enjoy the country life everywhere around them. Crabbing in the streams, digging sweet potatoes, hacking sugar canes, pushing coal mine carts on Gulu horse treks, or even picking up cannon steel scrapes made up the common memory for the second generation of the villagers. Besides, they playing cannon ball or diving over San-Xing Elementary School, they could swim back to the Village along Keelung Road. Sometimes, they just sat on a big iron tub floating down the river.
10. Education: Si-Si Fu Xiao (Forty Four affiliate Elementary School, present Xinyi Elementary School) was set up in 1949 for proper aged students from the Arsenal’s dependant quarters. During that time, it was under martial law; therefore the school as well as the Village was under military administration. The principle and the faculty were employed through the Arsenal’s decision till 1956 when the school was taken over by Bureau of Education, Taipei City and was renamed as Xinyi Elementary School.
11. Village mothers: Mothers in the Village not only need to take care of food, clothing, living, transportation for the whole family as well as make good use of every penny from husbands’ salary, but also they must learn and do some crafts so as to earn extra money to support the family. Usually mothers could not rest till the nights were late.
12. Time treasure boxes: They were hand made when the villagers moved out several years ago. Each represents the deepest and sincere memory and reminiscence of the Village from every family member and individual.

V. Information for each House

House A(Special Exhibition House):
Open to individuals, groups or organizations for displays or exhibitions of arts or cultural works, including works presentations, personal works exhibitions, fulfillment displays, graduation presentations etc.
House B (Military Dependant Quarter Exhibition House):
Mainly for dynamic exhibitions for Si-Si-Nan Cun culture including topics such as Trek of History, Military Dependant Quarter Literature, Village Mothers, Village Delicacies, Human Life Handcrafts, and Multi-media Theater etc
House C (Display House):
Mainly for displaying Xinyi District administration and its history, for introducing local cultural characteristics, for District Chief to receive important visiting guests and deliver briefing.
House D (Community House):
Mainly open to District residents for meeting, watching movies, and groups of people to practice, show and study indoors

VI. Service Information

House Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 16:00 free of charge
Closed Hours: Mondays and national holidays
Touring in Groups: Groups from various organizations or institutions over 20 persons or above may request guided tours. Please make a reservation one week in advance provided a guide is available.
Reservation Telephone: 27239777 # 858 Fax number: 27223031
Xinyi Citizen Meeting Houses Telephone: 27237937
Xinyi Citizen Meeting Houses Address: 50 (House A), 52 (House B), 54 (House C), 56 (House D), Song-Qin Street, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Transportation Directions:
1. Bus Lines stops at Xinyi District Administration Center:
32, 46, 202, 277, 612, 621, Blue 10
2. Bus Lines stops at World Trade Center (on Zhuang-Jing Road):
1, 22, 33, 37, 38, 226, 266, 288, 665, Blue 5
3. Bus Lines stops at the intersection of Wu-Xing Street:
207, 284, 292, 611, 625, 647, 650
4. MRT Blue Line to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Station, then transfer to bus line 266

Parking Information:
Roadside parking lot beside Xinyi Middle School, Underground parking lot north of Xinyi Middle School, Underground parking lot beneath Xinyi Square, A20 ground parking lot, Song-De temporary ground parking lot, Underground parking lot beneath Song-Shou Square, Underground parking lot at City Hall Front Square

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Taipei City Xinyi Public Assembly Hall Rental Service Fees Scheme

Application Form for Use of Xinyi Public Assembly Hall, Taipei City