Boai Road, Hankou Street, Camera Street Introduction
The camera street around Boai Road and Hankou Street, commonly known as the "Bo-Han District," has the densest concentration of camera shops in Taiwan. This street of cameras has witnessed the development of photographic equipment in Taiwan. Since the introduction of photography technology during the late Qing Dynasty and early Japanese colonial period, cameras have always been expensive luxury items that most people could hardly afford, often requiring the equivalent of a house or more than a thousand jin of rice to purchase. At that time, with many government agencies and media offices located "within Taipei City," along with the easy access of Taipei Railway Station, camera shops gradually thrived due to these customers. Since the opening of a large-format camera shop specializing in German Rollei cameras called "Rollei" across from the Taipei Post Office in 1958, several photography shops such as Hsing-Fu and Yu-Chou on Hankou Street, as well as Rong-Mei and Yong-Sheng on Boai Road, began to open. Today, nearly 50 camera stores have established themselves here, offering a wide variety of brands and accessories. As times have changed, cameras are no longer a luxury but rather a common digital device that everyone possesses. To find a good camera, this is the place to come, as established shops' commitment to professionalism naturally attracts discerning customers.
