Neiwan Theater Hakka Cultural Restaurant Introduction
The Neiwan Theater is the only remaining wooden theater still in operation in Taiwan. Originally an abandoned space, the current owner has preserved the theater's traditional Japanese aesthetic after leasing it, transforming it into a dining establishment that encompasses a snack shop, cultural exhibitions, old movie screenings, and creative Hakka cuisine, carrying on over 30 years of Taiwanese culinary culture. The totemic impressions climbing through fragmented memories are made up of Neiwan's early years of camphor distillation, mining, and lumbering, forming a bustling old street. The remnants of past splendor in this old theater evoke not only nostalgia but also a rich Hakka cultural atmosphere; the theater, now over fifty years old, seems to narrate the stories and journeys of the past three decades, with memories deeply embedded in nostalgic episodes that one savors repeatedly—a bite of delicious food, a touch of memory, evoking endless aftertastes. As for the star of ancient architecture in Neiwan, the Neiwan Theater stands out, being the first in Taiwan where patrons can dine for free while watching movies. This old theater, over fifty years old, is a pure Japanese-style two-story wooden building and has served as a filming location for movies such as "Spring and Autumn Tea House" and "Mulberry." Constructed in 1950 by then-councilor Yang Shengquan, the owner, who was engaged in both logging and camphor production, understood the leisure needs of the heavy labor workers in the mountains; thus, he built a renowned theater in a small village of just over a thousand people at that time.
