Fun, functional access covers tell stories.
Manhole covers are where art meets necessity in the urban environment. Some Taipei City sidewalks sport intricate colored examples of this most important of pavement safety features. The Taipei City Government’s first custom-designed manhole covers appeared in 2013 in Xinyi district, which features the capital’s iconic Taipei 101 Building. The metropolitan authority subsequently commissioned eight designs altogether for four Taipei districts: Datong, Nangang, Wanhua and Zhongzheng. These were unveiled in 2020.
The brief to local designers was to incorporate elements depicting well-known district buildings or historic events. One of the two Zhongzheng designs, for example, features Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, venue for the 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement, along with lilies, the chosen symbol of the student protest for democracy. The second shows high school students celebrating at Liberty Square. A single design for Wanhua features four of the district’s historic attractions, namely Lungshan Temple; the 1800s shophouses of Bopiliao; the 1908 Red House that has seen use as a public market, bookstore, cinema and theater; and the Nishi Honganji Relic, a reconstruction of a Japanese colonial era (1895-1945) Buddhist temple destroyed by fire in 1975.
More designs for other Taipei districts are in the pipeline. While showing the areas’ history and character, they pave the way for pedestrians to learn more about those who trod the streets before them.
—by Jim Hwang
A design for Nangang District shows a musician and a scientist, referencing Taipei Music Center and Academia Sinica; the latter is Taiwan’s foremost research institution.
Designs in Zhongzheng District portray the 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and students celebrating.
One of the designs for Zhongzheng District in situ.
A design for Datong District features both the historic Taipei North Gate and Taipei Post Office.
A Datong District manhole cover features two of Dadaocheng’s historic buildings.
Another design for Nangang District, which presents a view looking up from the ground at pedestrians.
A design for Wanhua District features four historic buildings.
Another Wanhua manhole cover depicts characters from temple performances.