Tainan Travel

Yongcheng Theater (永成戲院) originally opened for business in 1945, but in fact its forerunner was not even a theater. Rather it was run by Mr. Huang Zhi (黃直先生) as the Yongcheng Rice Mill (永成碾米廠). During the Japanese Colonial era, the Huang Family Rice Mill was in a long-term co-operative relationship with the Japanese government, and it built up an extensive network of contacts amongst government officials and merchants. As such, business flourished. The rice mill felt the effects of World War II and the Japanese withdrawing to Japan, and it suffered serious losses; ceasing to exist in its old state as a rice mill. Mr. Huang Zhi at this point took the steps to transform the site into a theater. After changing its status, it became a mingling spot for politicians, businessmen, and celebrities from around the Yanshui(鹽水) area. As well as showing movies and films, it would also sometimes feature theater troupes. It would be quite possible to say that at that time it was the grandest of theaters within the Yanshui area. However, as times changed, Yongcheng Theater went out of business in 2000, and it was only after renovation by Tainan City Government that the stage curtain, cypress chairs, and old film equipment could be brought back to a fit state, and over the New Year Festival it once again began to show films. As well as film showings, there are also art installations related to cinema, and it should not be missed on a trip to Yanshui.