Meinong First Theater 美濃第一戲院

******** THIS THEATER HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED********

Not only has it been demolished, but there is a new housing complex on the land where the theater used to stand.

Meinong 美濃 in Kaohsiung is a small, famous Hakka town. It was even named one of the “Top 10 Small Tourist Towns” by the tourism bureau. I’ve visited Meinong several times over the years to appreciate the beauty, restaurants, historic buildings, and, of course, the old movie theater.

As you know from other posts Taiwan had a lot of old movie theaters, even in the countryside. As Taiwan modernized, it was a place to come and see puppet shows, plays, and movies. They were usually the center of entertainment in the towns.

Of course, as TVs became more widespread in the 1960s and 1970s, it started the decline of Taiwan’s golden age of cinemas. Meinong’s First Theater was no exception.

There’s not much left in the theater, but it’s nice to see the screen still hanging. There are no projectors or seats left.

I don’t believe that these are originals from the movie theater. They were probably made recently to give the theater a more retro feel since the town does hold some cultural events at and outside the theater from time to time.

Meinong is a beautiful area of Kaohsiung and a special town. If you do go, remember to try the famous bantiao noodles 美濃粄條. So even if there is no theater to check out, you still should go.