Image Museum Introduction
The predecessor of the Image Museum was the "Youli Theater," Taiwan's first Western-style modern theater built by the Hsinchu City Office in 1933. At that time, it was the era of the rise of Taiwanese cinema, and the newly completed Youli Theater featured top-notch projection equipment, carpeted floors, and air conditioning, making it one of only three modern theaters in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. The building itself was designed with fire escapes and fire lanes, and it required audiences to have reserved seating and dress appropriately to maintain a quiet and clean viewing environment. After the war, the Youli Theater was renovated for the Nationalist government’s handover ceremony and was renamed "National Great Theater" in February of 1946. It was managed by the city until it ceased operations in 1991, and on May 21, 2000, it was repurposed as the "Hsinchu City Image Museum," bringing the audiovisual world back to life.
