Taiwan Today

The Taipei Easy Mall, called the "Zhongshan Underground Street" in Chinese, is located between the Taipei Main and Shuanglian MRT stations, covering a total length of 815 meters. After opening in 2000, Taipei's first MRT mall did not attract as many customers as anticipated. From 2000 to 2003, the mall languished without many commercial interests moving in. Today, however, this underground mall bustles at noon with more and more white-collar workers stopping in each day to take a healthy walk. Some people walk for 30 to 40 minutes and put in about 10,000 steps. Others take the MRT from Shihlin especially to come here just for lunch and a relaxing time. The facilities in the Easy Mall include a special square, providing young people with a dancing space with a four-wall mirror. There is a professional-grade stage in the middle, and young people perform or practice enthusiastically here day and night. The spectacle has become one of the hallmarks of the mall. One high-school student, "Hsiao B," says the biggest advantage of the underground mall is that it keeps people out of the rain, sun and wind. Moreover, the air-conditioned mall sports many chairs and tables and has become a gathering place for the elderly as well. They come here to read the newspaper, play chess or chat with friends. For the past two years, the mall has had book vendors in residence. They offer new books at a good discount, and regularly hold "book fairs" at which prices may drop to 20% of the original ticket. Some books can be had for as little as NT$10 (US$0.31), making this a favorite destination for book lovers throughout the city. The Children's Book City, in place for less than a year now, gives youngsters a place of their own to come and read. On weekends, there are parent-child activities organized here, and it has become a favorite retreat for children and their parents. The Taipei Museum of Modern Art cooperates, too, holding an "Experience Creativity Show" underground each month. The displays feature vanguard works of modern art, allowing people to enjoy them for free. The art adds to the cultural diversity on show at the mall. Artist Chiang Wei-chen says that it is possible to see works of art by artists of all ages and backgrounds in the mall, and the challenge lies in somehow shrinking this underground town through visual art.