This is the bridge that ran north from the MAAG Compounds along Zhong Shan Rd N over the river to the Grand Hotel and the 63 Club (China Seas). I read somewhere that this bridge is no longer used but still in place.
This is in the Shih-Lin area just west of the Grand Hotel. It might be at the intersection of Hougang St, 5th Ave and Chengde Sec 4 Rd 80 Ln or 58 Ln. The area is so built up it is hard to tell (I am using MSN Maps for street names and Google Earth for locations then crossing referencing both. Google Earth road names are in Chinese).
Just after crossing the bridge on Zhong Shan N Rd heading north toward the 63 Club (China Seas) and before the Grand Hotel was this little park area on the East Side.
I'll post more pictures in a day or so. Many thanks to Dennis and all the others who have taken the time to share some of these great memories. Keep 'em coming!!
9 comments:
All,
The ChungShan Bridge was an important crossing of the TanShui River and a strategic location. History-wise it must have been there as early as the late 19th Century and perhaps rebuilt several times. I have seen Japanese postcards on eBay dated 1915 with the ChungShan bridge as subject. Does anyone remember the pill box just at the entrance before crossing the bridge? I believe that could have been a remnant of Japanese occupation WWII? Also when entering the East Compound there was a small mound with several grave markers on the left side that must have gone back quite a few years from 65 when I was stationed at HSA?
The bridge is effectively gone. However if you look over the side of the new bridge the old foundations are still there. Check out the area on Google earth - it's one of the worst traffic bottle neck areas in Taipei.
Misty, do you live in Taipei or do you just visit there?
Don
I don't live in Taipei but my family still does so I do visit often. I remember most of these places well from the 70's onwards and have seen how they have developed up until the present.
I should point out that although I have no military connection I identify with the nostalgia on this site as many of the places discussed here formed a part of my youth.
Misty, I really appreciate your comments.
Most of us who were stationed there during the 70s (or 60s or 50s) have never returned. Many of the details in our memories have faded over the years, and I feel very fortunate that you have taken the time to help us clarify some things.
You have the advantage of seeing the city as it was in the 70s and watching it become what it is today - a perspective that most of us do not have.
You're always welcome here.
Yes George, I do remember the pill box. I also remember the area on the left as you entered the East Compound. I was always curious about that area. I remember asking about it a few times and did not get much in the way of responses. I just searched Google Earth and it does not appear to still be there.
Thanks for the info.
Dennis McNelis
Dennis, I was told that the walled-in overgrown area next to the east compound entrance was a mass burial site from the 1940s when the Nationalists first arrived. That information may not be true, but I'm sure that was the story.
Don,
I also heard rumors about the overgrown area being a mass grave site.
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