臺北市政府文化局

Constructed after the Second World War, Dunhua South and North Roads are relatively new additions to Taipei. In 1950, the government decided to construct Dunhua North Road to connect Songshan Airport with the city centre. USAID enabled this area, once filled with farmland and farmhouses, to be transformed into one of Taipei’s major tree-lined boulevards. Following the relocation of the Lin An Tai Historical House, Dunhua South Road was fully opened in 1978, completing one of Taipei’s major north–south transportation arteries.

In the 1980s and 1990s, their proximity to Songshan Airport meant Dunhua South and North Roads attracted numerous businesses and became an important location for corporate headquarters, financial institutions, hotels, and department stores. During this time, iconic landmarks like the Asiaworld Department Store, Mandarin Hotel, Taiwan’s first McDonald’s, and Swensen’s Ice Cream were all the rage. If you were looking for trends, this was the place to be!

In 1999, to give Dunhua South and North Roads more international appeal, Taipei City Government launched the Dunhua Art Corridor public art installation project. Following an open competition, nine pieces were selected from over a hundred submissions and installed along a two-km stretch, turning the streets into an open-air gallery imbued with cultural and artistic flair.

The public art installations included, from south to north: Source (Keelung Road intersection), Scarecrow (Heping East Road intersection), Serenity (between Xinyi and Ren'ai Roads), The Garden Outside the Birdcage (a giant birdcage at the Anhe Road median island),Time Zebra Crossing (intersection of Dunhua South Road and Civic Boulevard), Mountain Dwelling (between Civic Boulevard and Bade Road), Like a Fish in Water (Nanjing East Road intersection), and Buzzing Landscape and Soaring East (originally between Minsheng East Road and Minquan East Road; currently being relocated and renovated). These works have now become part of Taipei’s urban landscape.

Dunhua South and North Roads are not just vital transportation arteries for Taipei but also a reflection of the city’s evolution and development. From their origins as farmland to the bustling commercial centres they have become, later incorporating public art initiatives, these roads have witnessed the dynamic growth of Taipei’s eastern district, both connecting north and south and intertwining history, culture, and the future to symbolize Taipei’s ongoing progress on the global stage.