For the benefit of those who want to see all my photos of colonial/early modern architecture in one place, I’ve created a Flickr set dedicated to it. It’s got more Japanese colonial buildings and old churches than you can shake a stick at.
Speaking of colonial architecture and such, check out this Flickr photo pool of Taiwan’s architectural heritage — you could spend forever in there, and it’s interesting to compare the early modern architectural heritage of the two former Japanese colonies.
8 Comments
i don’t know the koreans would keep these buildings around. as i’ve said a thousand times before, they should be burned to the ground. they have no place in korea’s history.
Probably the best place to appreciate Japanese colonial architecture in Mainland China is the city of Changchun, a pleasant college town not yet crowded by gleaming skyscrapers. Locals in my former home of Qingdao are proud of their city being distinguished from others by its collection of German-built homes, government offices, and churches in the charming Old Town, a lovely place to stroll, especially in the fall when the gingkos blend monochromatically with the yellow walls surrounding the homes.
Marmot, brilliant collection of photos.
Robert,
Thanks for your work putting this collection together, and thanks for the link to the Taiwan photos too. Your definitive book on Korean early modern architecture is still a long way off, but this is another step in that direction. The Taiwan photos make me more than ever eager to visit that island. And thanks to Sonagi for the tip on Changchun. Back in the 80’s many Japanese were going to Dalian for their colonial architecture nostalgia hits, but by now I suspect that town is mostly modern skyscrapers (??). I am impressed by the scale on which the Japanese built on Taiwan, and how much is left.
And Pawi- I shouldn’t be rattling your cage, but do you think every building the British put up in India should be destroyed too? Every building by the French in Vietnam? How about the Roman amphitheaters and acqueducts in the south of France? Or the Greek temples on Sicily? Leptis Magna in North Africa?
that’s for the citizens of those countries to decide. the japanese occupation of korea was brief and unnatural and yielded no benefit to the korean people. these buildings serve only as a reminder of an alien presence that should have never been. they should be destroyed for that reason alone.
indeed, all vestiges of japan’s presence in korea should be erased lest they visit to gloat.
As it for the citizens of Korea to decide. And in fact they already are, with both the Korean government designating more and more colonial-era buildings as cultural heritage sites for protection and more and more building owners registering their properties as 등록문화재.
Robert,
I am moving to Taiwan so I appreciated the link to the Taiwan photos. Hopefully I can add to the collection!