The Red House Theater (), often called Hong Lo Red Play House, Red Theater, Ximen Honglou or Ximen Red House in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, is a historic

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

Ximending Ximending (sometimes Hsimenting, ; Tâi-lô: Se-mn̂g-ting; Japanese Romaji: ) is a neighborhood and shopping district in the Wanhua District of Taipei, Taiwan, along with its main rival, the Eastern District of Taipei. Overview Ximending has b ...

Wanhua District Wanhua District, known in Taiwanese Hokkien as Báng-kah khu and historically as "Monga" or "Monka", is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is Taipei's oldest district. The district is home to historic buildings such as the Bangka Lungshan Temple, ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. The theater is located at 10 Chengdu Road.

History

Built in 1908 during Japanese rule and designed by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Kondo Juro, the Red Theater was originally a market building, with its ground floor serving as a department store. From 1945 onwards, the building was used as a theater, housing a troupe performing

Peking Opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

. The theater's many functions throughout the years signify Taiwan's sociopolitical hybridization. It was renovated due to a fire in the 2000s. From 2007 onwards, the Red Theater has been managed by the Taipei Culture Foundation, which uses the theater as a platform to promote the Cultural and Creative industries and revive the Ximending's community. The Red House was listed as a Class III Historical Site in 1997. In 2016 the area was subject to an

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

attack.

Architecture

The Red House's unique architectural style is characterized by blended Western and Meiji era Japanese architectural patterns. The style of the building can be attributed to its architect's education, as Kondo Juro attended the Tokyo Imperial University, where he became cognizant of Western architectural styles. The Red House consists of an octagonal building, known as the Octagon Building, a Cruciform building and the adjacent square. In 2015, the Cruciform Building was renovated to restore Taiwan's first marketplace and grocery bazaar. The building is home to the Creative Boutique which provides local labels with aesthetic retail spaces. In 2016, the Octagon Building underwent the largest-scale renovation in the last 100 years.

Today

The Riverside Live House Corporation Ltd. took control of the horizontal section of the main Cruciform Building in September 2008. It hosts concerts by students and musicians from Thursday throughout the weekend. The building was converted into a theater in 2007, and has since become a popular part of the gay scene in the neighborhood. It is the site of the annual gay New Year’s Eve countdown and the Taipei Pride and the Mr. Gay World Taiwan pageant. It was the venue of the Wikimania 2007

Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

, which included a short film festival. In 2017, the main lantern of the

Taiwan Lantern Festival The Taiwan Lantern Festival () is an annual event hosted by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taiwan to celebrate the Lantern Festival. Many activities are held across Taiwan during the Lantern Festival; ...

was displayed on the square of the Red House, attracting numerous international visitors.

Amenities

The ground floor houses a small cafe and a display on the history of the building, as well as several independent shops. The second-floor theater hosts regular live performances. The theater is within walking distance west from Ximen Station on the

Taipei Metro Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...

References

External links