After seeing his home destroyed in an earthquake and his antique business washed away by a flood, Chen Chien-li (陳建力) is rebuilding his life and career by looking for treasures in piles of trash and hoping that he will soon be able to return to his old home.
“My greatest wish is to go live in Tunghsing Building again,” Chen said.
Chen, 42, had lived in an apartment in the 12-story building since moving to Taipei from Penghu with his parents when he was 16.
The building bore witness to his entrepreneurship as an eyeglasses and antiques dealer, his marriage and the birth of their first child.
However, he lost most of his belongings and memorabilia when a massive earthquake struck central Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999, destroying the building located more than 200km from the quake’s epicenter.
Chen's mother and younger brother were among the 87 residents killed in the disaster, while he and his father sustained injuries.
Fortunately, Chen's daughter and his wife, who was expecting their second child, were safe and unharmed.
Just when Chen and his neighbors were looking to reconstruct their homes, misfortune struck again. In September 2001, severe flooding caused by Typhoon Nari swamped his temporary residence and optical store, destroying his antique collection.
Forced to close his business, Chen opted to stay home to take care of his children, while his wife — a nurse — worked.
This was also when he began a life scavenging through piles of garbage.
Chen initially looked for toys or furniture that his family could use. However, he began discovering many items that — in his eyes as an experienced antique collector — turned out to be treasures.
These include a rare Japanese doll, Chinese porcelain wares that were no longer in production, portraits of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and old-fashioned liquor bottles.
There were also account books and diaries written by prisoners during the Japanese colonial period, playing cards from the Martial Law era, as well as documents, passports and jewelry discarded by veterans who came from China.
Chen began to auction the items online in 2005 — a business that helps him earn up to NT$60,000 a month when sales are brisk.
While Chen has found a new start for his career, his dream of moving back to Tunghsing remains unfulfilled although 10 years have passed.
The project to reconstruct Tunghsing Building, which started in 2004 — four years after the earthquake — was suspended in October 2006 when the contractor had cashflow problems.
The project was taken over last August by another contractor, which halted the project two months later after experiencing similar financial problems.
A third contractor took over the project last December.
“Although I’m now living very close to the original site of the Tunghsing Building, I have not been able to return home all these 10 years. This is my greatest regret,” Chen said.
That day of return may not be far away, though, with the reconstruction project expected to be completed by August.
Chen said he hoped his experience could inspire others facing similar adversities in life to “never give up hope.”
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