Taiwan Urban Adventure Chronicles—Glory Gone, the Remains of the Vacation Club on the Bank of Tamsui River

Mar 1, 2022

[Sealson Discovery Series Discovers Taiwan’s Hidden Secrets]
—Issue 2: Glory Gone—The remains of the resort club on the banks of the Tamsui River

Along the estuary of the Tamsui River stands the ruins of a castle-like manor. The rusty iron gate not only highlights its sense of mystery, but also the quiet and lifeless atmosphere that dissuades people from thousands of miles away. This international resort club was once a gathering place for celebrities and elegant people; it was once a symbol of class and elegance; it was once a paradise for physical and mental liberation in the hustle and bustle of the city; it can also be said to be the embodiment of "Taiwan's money-driven lifestyle". Nowadays, various interest entanglements and bankruptcies have made it a heterogeneous existence in the city. The beauty of the river bank remains the same, but the prosperous times are gone.

Speaking of vacation clubs, we must start from the United Kingdom at the end of the 18th century. The clanging metal sound in the factory symbolizes the rise of the bourgeoisie. With the changes in social structure, the aristocratic system is increasingly disintegrating. The upper class of the past still longed for the good old days, and the gentry who were accustomed to living a prosperous and comfortable life gathered together and jointly funded the selection of a suitable place, a place that adopted a "membership system" and had the functions of networking, socializing and leisure─this This is the origin background of "club".

In Taiwan, the development of clubs has begun from poetry societies and art salons during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and then to bars and dance halls during the US aid period. After the 1950s, city clubs in the name of golf, fitness, and social networking also gradually took shape. In the 1970s, corporate-operated "leisure vacation" clubs officially appeared. The ensuing policies of opening up overseas travel, lifting martial law, and opening up China to visit relatives made citizens pay more attention to the lifestyle of domestic and foreign travel. In 1998, Taiwan's entertainment turnover reached 71.8 billion yuan. At the turn of the millennium, leisure resorts and social clubs have become important daily leisure elements for the bourgeoisie.

Following the conditions of intensified urbanization and financialization of construction, the placement of clubs has become a major selling point for real estate developers. Many residential buildings or tourist hotels with club functions are gradually appearing in suburban areas. This international-class resort The club is also a product of this background. In addition to being the most exclusive club in the country at that time, it covered an area of about 4,000 square meters and had a beautiful view of the river bank. It also had indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa, a buffet snack bar and a banquet hall, which were extremely luxurious. The high threshold of monthly fees still attracted more than 1,500 members in its heyday, with monthly income reaching millions of yuan.

However, the former Golden Empire collapsed without warning due to poor management at the beginning of the millennium. The accumulated refunds and miscellaneous expenses amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. Without the financial ability to deal with the aftermath, the club has been idle for 20 years. The majestic spiral staircase and the splendid banquet hall in the hall are increasingly dilapidated, which is particularly ironic. The era where people once yearned for the aristocratic entertainment life has now been ruined by the greed and ugliness of human nature. The wind blew through the gray and damaged floor-to-ceiling glass, peering through it. The beautiful view of the river bank is always the same.