Guling Street Avant-garde Theatre Introduction
During the Qing Dynasty, the route between Taipei City and Guting Village passed through Guling Street. During the Japanese era, in order to commemorate the fifth governor-general, Sakuma Samata, this area was called Sakuma Town. After Japan's defeat, the Japanese who were forced to return home came here to sell books and paintings in exchange for money to return to Japan, which became the precursor to the old book stalls on Guling Street. Later, mainland Chinese who came to Taiwan mimicked the Japanese, establishing street stalls for the sale of old books and antique paintings, leading to the popularity of Guling Street’s old books, which was named Guling to replace Sakuma Town and remove the colonial connotation. The entrance of the Guling Street Small Theater faces northwest, constructed by the Japanese for monitoring purposes, scanning the plains for potential threats, thus differing from the adjacent structures. The Nationalist Government continued to use this building for surveillance, serving as a police station, symbolizing state power. The Zhongzheng Second Police Precinct relocated to Nanhai Road, and this building became a performance space for the small theater, developing cultural and artistic activities. The space is planned for offices and information desks, promotional areas, experimental theaters, detention rooms, meeting rooms, cultural spaces, audiovisual rooms, and rehearsal rooms. Various performances and activities are held here from time to time, holding an important position in the history of small theater development in Taiwan.
