Sat, Dec 07, 2002 page16

• From station to station

  Although taken for granted by the throngs of commuters who use them every day, a new book sets out to prove that railway stations are more than just static public utilities

  • By Gavin Phipps / STAFF REPORTER
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  Train stations could very well be viewed in a new and different light following the recent publication of a book that sets out to explore the relationship between station development and the nation's social and cultural growth. Entitled Classic Railway Stations in Taiwan (台灣七大經典車站建築圖集), the glossy coffee-table hardback gives readers a unique insight into the sociological significance of seven of the nation's earliest and most important railway stations built during Japanese colonial rule.

  However far fetched the theme may appear, there is, according to both the Taiwan Railway Administration (台鐵) and the Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA, 行政院文建會) -- organizations without whose assistance publication of the book would not have been possible -- a method to the madness.

  "People take stations for granted. But as gateways for the cities and towns they serve they are more than just buildings," Huang Min-ren (黃民仁), Taiwan Rail general engineer (台鐵總工程司) said. "Being the first and last impressions visitors get of places, train stations are in fact a very important social milieu."

  Plotting the history of Taiwan's 114-year-old railway network through the use of essays and photographs, the crux of the book centers around seven train stations -- in Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Keelung, Kaohsiung and Taipei -- and their cultural significance.

  "The aim of the book is twofold. First, to give readers an insightful glimpse into the histories of the stations. And second, to show how the expansion of the railway system in Taiwan was reflected changes in society," CCA spokesperson, Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) explained. "As one of the oldest rail networks in Asia, the growth of Taiwan's railways was an important chapter in the history of rail development worldwide."

  Filled with the specifications and architectural blueprints from the Japanese colonial era railway network, the book took four years to complete and takes readers on a step-by-step tour of the insides and outsides of the stations. Be it small beams, station entrances and exits, or the facilities found within, each part of the station reflects the social and cultural values of the periods in which they were built.

  "The styles and designs used typified what people thought train stations ought to have been like," according to Liou Shuenn-ren (劉舜仁), the book's chief editor and associate professor at Tunghai University's department of architecture (東海大學建築系). "As wealth and patterns of social behavior changed, so did train station design. For example, in 1933 restaurants first began to appear in train stations and other advances pertaining to economic development soon followed."

  The plans the book relies on were, until four years ago, slowly rotting away in an abandoned Taiwan Rail building in Taipei. Granted permission by Taiwan Rail to enter and search the building in August of 1998, Liou stumbled across upwards of 5,000 Japanese colonial era architectural plans for train stations dating from between 1908 to the mid-1940s.

  Although not the first to make the find, the professor was the first individual officially granted permission by railway authorities to remove and study the plans. "About ten years ago a student managed to get hold of copies for his thesis, and I heard that a university professor had also gotten hold of copies once," Liou said. "But I don't think either was given permission to remove them from the building for further study." Built of wood, over 70 years old and awaiting demolition, the building's lack of ventilation and damp interior meant that much of Liou's find was in very poor condition and in serious need of restoration. This is one of the reasons he feels Taiwan Rail was so forthright in granting him permission to use them.

  "I think we were granted permission to remove them because Tunghai University has the equipment and personnel specializing in the restoration of old documents as well as a nationally respected history department," Liou continued. "I'm sure that had we not been in possession of such faculties the documents and plans would have been destroyed when the building was demolished roughly a month after we'd gotten them out."

  Published at a time when restoration of several of Taiwan's oldest train stations is already underway, it is hoped that the book will prove popular not only with those interested in trains or architecture, but also with the layperson.

  "With Kaohsiung and Taitung's Japanese era stations making news in recent months, I'm hopeful that the book will stoke a great deal of interest," the professor said. "And not just amongst architects and historians. Everybody uses train stations."

  In order to lighten the book's technical side and make it appeal to a wider audience, poetry recreating the mood of the cities and the periods in which the stations were constructed is also included in the book.

  "Obviously we realized that filling it exclusively with technical drawings would severally limit its readership," Liou said. "So we decided to add poems, photos and essays pertaining to the history of Taiwan's rail network."

  While creating a lot of interest not only at home, but also in Japan, where, according to Liou the book has proven extremely popular with train hobbyists, its chances of making the best seller list are virtually impossible.

  Only 1,300 copies have been made available to the general public and, because of the involvement of the CCA, the small number of copies that have been published can only be found at Eslite bookstores (誠品書店).

  "It's a pity that we can't put the book on wider release, but because there's a government body involved this is impossible. Government publications cannot be sold at public bookstores," Liou explained. "Because we obviously couldn't have undertaken the project without their help, there's little we can do about this."
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