Keelung to resume status as primary national gateway

“Besides fishery and port services, commissioned stores were another business thriving around the harbor in the early days,” recalled city mayor Chang Tung-rong. In fact, the commissioned stores were exclusive to Keelung, where sailors usually brought lavish foreign goods during their occasional visits back to their homeland, placing them at the commissioned stores. In other words, Keelung was once a major source of the most luxurious foreign brands of clothing and other consumer goods in Taiwan.

Most of the commissioned stores are still in operation now, but few expect to regain the same level of prosperity as before. “Commissioned stores reflect the historical background of a certain period of time, just like the old pieces of artillery on roadsides around the city,” said Chang, who says he is proud that it’s hard to find other places in the world with as much antique artillery as Keelung. Many popular scenic spots were actually transformed from historic military fortresses such as the Baimiwong Fort, Shichiouling Fort, Sino-French War Memorial Park, Haimen Tiansian, the vicinity around Lovers Lake, and so on.

The fortresses were mostly built by Dutch, French or Japanese people when they ruled the island hundreds of years ago. They installed much artillery around the city due to its important strategic location. Centuries later, these pieces of artillery still stand at their original locations.

Chang revealed his plan for building an artillery museum to honor the city’s unique historical background. “The museum will be built at a place with the most artillery and will display historic documents about the old military fortresses in Keelung,” said Chang. “The old pieces of artillery, which are usually used by people as a backdrop for shooting photos, will be kept at their original locations. They will become less attractive if we move them indoors.”

New metropolitan city

Keelung is now at a critical turning point in its march toward becoming a modern metropolitan city, as Chang has sketched several major construction projects since he assumed mayorship last May. Among these, two are national construction projects in cooperation with the central government’s national development plans—the “Marine Square” and the “National Museum of Marine Science & Technology,” both of which just held ground-breaking ceremonies last December after several years of planning.

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