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Join the parade to celebrate 120 years of Taipei City

Participants prepare for a parade to celebrate 120 years of history in Taipei on Sunday. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI CITY CULTURAL BUREAU

This Sunday afternoon a unique costume parade will take place on the streets of Taipei to recall the foundation of the city's original walls 120 years ago.

The procession is going to depart at around 3pm from the North Gate (北門), the only original city gate that has survived the test of time. It is at the intersection of Zhongxiao West Road (忠孝西路)and Boai Road (博愛路), at the northern end of Ximending (西門町).

The parade will gather in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard (凱達格蘭大道) after zigzagging through Ximending and staging various shows for all the participants.

Featuring the themes of history, folk customs, magic, immigrant heritage and life, the carnival-like parade intends to demonstrate Taipei City's vitality and creativity by putting on a show involving more than 5,000 artists.

According to the Taipei City Cultural Bureau, "The historic events of yesteryear will reappear in a parade featuring period costumes and props on the streets of 21st century Taipei. It will serve to remind us all of our glorious legacy and of our ancestors' mighty efforts to create Taipei City."

The theme of folk customs will be presented by the temples of Taipei. The colorful folk artists are sure to provide a rousing scene. The "magical Taipei" section of the parade will feature large helium balloons, huge floats and extraordinary art.

Immigrant Taipei will show off the different ethnic groups of the city, expressing its many facets, stylish fashions and the rich tapestry of cultural influences that are present here.

Finally, the "living Taipei" section of the show will feature the hot springs of Beitou (北投), the night market of Shilin (士林) and a lot more famed areas in the city.

The old city walls of Taipei were built around 1882 to 1884 in accordance with the principles of geomancy, in reference to the East Gate to the top of Mt. Qixing (七星山) in the north. Due to a lack of funding, however, only four major gates (and a minor one), along with linking walls, were completed.

The city had a rectangular shape at this time with the major gates standing at four corners facing east, west, south and north. The city walls had a perimeter of 4,500m and a height of 5m. The pathway on the wall was 4m in width and could provide enough space for two horses to pass by.

It is said that Taipei would not be the city it is today if it were not for the Franco-Chinese War of 1884. In that year, Liu Mingchuan (劉銘傳), a Qing Dynasty general assigned to defend Taiwan from foreign invasion, led an army into Taipei and started the construction of schools and railways, which paved the way for the city to flourish in the coming years.

The city walls were short-lived, however. As soon as Taiwan was turned over to Japan after the Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the Japanese colonial government started to tear down the city walls. Within 16 years the city walls were built and knocked down.

The city government is hoping people will dress up in costumes and get involved in a celebration of the city's history.

Performance notes:
What: Taipei City Parade
Where: North Gate of the Taipei City and Presidential Office Square
When: Sunday, Oct. 24, 3pm to 6pm
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