Taipei Military Dependents' Village - My Old Home

After the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, and military personnel, government officials, and civilians from various provinces were forced to relocate to Taiwan. According to statistics, from 1945 to 1950, nearly 2 million military personnel and civilians from the mainland moved to Taiwan. To solve the housing problem caused by the sudden increase in population, construction of housing began or arrangements were made to use the dormitories left by the Japanese. The new residents were grouped by military branch, occupation, and other characteristics within a certain area, which is now known as the 'Military Dependents' Village'. Chuang Sheng-Jie in 'The Formation and Transformation of Post-war Taipei Military Dependents' Villages' suggests that the development of military dependents' villages can be divided into four periods: the old military dependents' village period (1945-1956), the new military dependents' village period (1957-1980)→the era I grew up in, the old system military dependents' village reconstruction period (1980-1997), and the new system military dependents' village reconstruction period (1997 to present). The scale of the military dependents' villages ranged from several dozen to a hundred households, forming a community that was almost isolated. This characteristic allowed for close interaction among residents within the same village, but it also made communication with the outside community difficult. In addition to the cramped living space, lack of public facilities, and outdated village construction, there was also a common sense of patriotism and a community consciousness that arose from sharing the same military branch and occupation, leading to frequent emotional connections among residents. In the early days, the salaries of military personnel who came to Taiwan from the mainland were quite low. To supplement their living needs, the government provided educational subsidies, medical consultations, and daily necessities such as rice, flour, and salad oil. All subsidies for military dependents required a dependents' subsidy certificate as proof, which was also a unique culture during my youth. The early military dependents' villages were closed communities, with frequent emotional connections among residents due to a common national consciousness and the cohesion of sharing the same military branch and occupation. Common activities included making food together or neighbors helping each other prepare festive foods; the most common leisure activity was playing mahjong with neighbors. The military dependents' village residents from different provinces of the mainland also brought their regional noodle flavors, enriching Taiwan's food culture. From 1964 to 1994, the first 30 years of my life were spent growing up and living here. In the years that followed, I had countless dreams about this place; and at the age of 60, I came back to the place where I grew up, though the people had already aged. 📍Detailed address: No. 50, Zhongqin Street, Xinyi District, Taipei City. 🕙Opening hours: 9 am to 5 pm. 💰Ticket price: Free admission. 🚉Transportation tips: Take the Xiangshan MRT line to Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station, and it is right next to the exit.