臺北市政府文化局

Zhonghua Mall is a cherished memory for many longtime Taipei residents. In 1949, when the Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan, numerous military personnel and civilians also came. Urban planning in Taipei could not accommodate the sudden population surge, so many people built temporary bamboo huts along the railway tracks on Zhonghua Road. In 1959, during a site inspection, President Chiang Kai-shek noticed this chaotic scene and ordered the construction of Zhonghua Mall.

Stretching from Beimen (North Gate) to Xiaonanmen (Lesser South Gate), Zhonghua Mall consisted of eight buildings named after the traditional Eight Virtues: zhong (loyalty), xiao (filial piety), ren (benevolence), ai (love), xin (faith), yi (righteousness), he (harmony), and ping (peace). These three-story concrete structures housed 1,644 units for both businesses and residences, a mixed-use solution intended to bring order to the previous disarray.

The 1960s and 1970s marked the peak of Zhonghua Mall. To the west lay Ximending, a district known since the Japanese era for its entertainment venues and cinemas, which attracted huge crowds. During this period, several large department stores also opened on nearby Zhonghua Road, including First Department Store, Taiwan’s first major department store. Combined with traditional commercial hubs like Chengzhong Market, Hengyang Road, and Boai Road, and with accessible transport options (numerous bus lines serving the area), Zhonghua Mall formed the heart of commercial activity in Taipei.

By the 1980s, Taipei’s commercial focus shifted eastward, and Zhonghua Mall, with its 20-something years of history, lost its glory. The construction of the Taipei Metro ultimately sealed its fate, and demolition soon followed. The buildings that once stood in a row ceded place to the modern Zhonghua Road.

Today, the overpass on Zhonghua Road, rebuilt in 2003, bears the inscription “Zhonghua Mall” and the character xiao孝 (filial piety). From this overpass, as you gaze at the bustling traffic below, it feels like looking into the vibrant 1970s heyday of Zhonghua Mall. If you enjoy revisiting Taipei’s past, come to the “Xiao” overpass, and step into a time tunnel back to those golden years!