The musky scent of old books on Taipei’s Kuling Street

Taipei's Kuling Street was formerly known as Taiwan's first old book street. After the war in 1945, when the Japanese were sent back to Japan, their inability to easily carry book collections and calligraphy works back with them triggered the growth of bookstalls on Kuling Street.

However, in 1974, the government deemed the old bookstalls an eyesore on the city's appearance and moved them all to Kuanghua Market. Unfortunately, high humidity in the basement, which made it difficult to adequately preserve old books, and the rise of electronic products, precipitated a gradual decline of old booksellers in Kuanghua Market. The sight of old bookstalls on Kuling Street gradually became just another nostalgic memory of former times.

Fortunately, since 2000, the warden of Longfu Village has been running Kuling Street Books & Creative Bazaar to arouse old memories and introduce more people to the artistic atmosphere, culture, and history of Kuling Street.

以下為中文對照

台北市牯嶺街曾被封為「台灣第一舊書街」，在1945年戰後，日本人陸續被遣返回日本，難以攜帶回日本的書籍、字畫於是形成牯嶺街舊書攤的樣貌。

然而在1974年政府認為舊書攤有礙市容，將舊書攤全數遷移至光華商場，但地下室過於潮濕不易保存舊書，再加上3C產品、電子產業的崛起，造成光華商場內的舊書商逐年減少，同時牯嶺街的舊書攤面貌也逐漸走入歷史。

龍福里里長為了讓更多人感受牯嶺街的藝文氣息並喚起民眾的記憶，自2000年起開始舉辦牯嶺街書香創意市集活動，希望讓更多人看見並重視牯嶺街舊書攤的文化與歷史。