左營清水大戲院

February 9, 2024

Last updated August 29, 2025

In the 1960s a bustling shopping and entertainment district formed along Xiling Street (西陵街)¹ in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, not far from the gates of the ROC Naval Academy (中華民國海軍軍官學校). The street became famous for its many suit shops, teahouses, and hotels, all catering to the many military personnel in the area. It was anchored by a pair of movie theaters established in quick succession by local entrepreneur Tseng Ching-shui (曾清水) starting in 1966. The first of these was the eponymous Qingshui Theater (清水大戲院), soon followed by the larger Guanguang Theater (觀光大戲院) later that same year. Both theaters were operated with business acumen, leaning into more diverse forms of entertainment not showcased at the navy’s official venues, Zhongshan Hall (海軍中山堂) and Zhongzheng Hall (海軍中正堂).

Exterior shot of the old theater under dusky skies in 2018.

A glimpse of the former lobby of the old theater, now completely exposed to the elements.

Tseng is a real-life rags-to-riches figure; he had no formal education and was functionally illiterate but went on to become a wealthy cinema tycoon in the Kaohsiung region. As a teenager he hustled to earn money through a series of small-time business ventures starting in the offshore fishing industry before opening a shaved ice parlor. His experiences there allowed him to enter the fruit wholesaling market and, as the money rolled in, he was able to raise enough capital to establish twin theaters along Xiling Street² as well as a film distribution company. He opened several more theaters in the decades that followed³, culminating with Shiquan Cineplex (時全影城), which only closed around 2022.

An oblique view of the main stage from the balcony extension leading to the restrooms.

While the navy offered patriotic programming and family-friendly fare, Tseng’s theaters featured more eclectic programming, screening a wide variety of Western and foreign films. Adult content was also shown here, increasingly so in its later years. This theater was also notorious for more risqué forms of live entertainment, particularly cabaret and striptease shows known by the euphemism “beef market” (牛肉場) for all the flesh that was bared. The nearby hotels provided rowdy soldiers a venue for additional services after the show.

An emergency exit on the left side of the hall.

Another look at the balcony level from below.

The projection room would have been located here but there’s no sign of it anymore.

The side of the building is painted blue and features the names of four of Tseng Ching-shui’s theaters.

One last glance at the old theater just off Xiling Street.

Qingshui Theater held its final screening sometime around 1995. Since then it has been stripped bare, exposing the interior to the predations of time and the elements. After Tseng Ching-shui passed away in 2007 his children have been embroiled in a bitter dispute over inheritance⁴, but it seems that this specific theater was left to his son Tseng Jincheng (曾錦成), who still lives across the street. While its future remains uncertain, it is difficult to imagine the gutted shell of this old theater ever earning heritage status, so you should probably visit it soon should you ever wish to see it.

Located immediately to the south of Shanghai Street (上海街), a commercial thoroughfare running along the periphery of the nearby naval base, Xiling Street is also sometimes referred to as Zuoying Navy Old Street (左營海軍老街). A location web magazine Hiông-hiông (雄雄) has a cool feature about it. Note that while Qingshui Theater doesn’t front onto Xiling Street it is mere steps from it. ↩
Some details in this section were sourced from Pan-Kai Chou’s interview with Tseng’s son Tseng Jinyuan (曾錦元) in a video posted to YouTube. ↩
Apart from the twin theaters along Xiling Street, Tseng also founded Dameitian Theater (大每天戲院) and Shiquan Theater (十全大戲院), both of which seem to have been merged to form Shiquan Cineplex (時全影城) in 1998. ↩
This story is detailed here. Most of the dispute concerns Shiquan Cineplex; the twin theaters along Xiling Street are presumably of limited value. ↩

Visitation Log

December 6, 2018

Themes

Theaters in Taiwan (台灣老戲院)
Urban Exploration in Taiwan (台灣城市探險)

Series: Southern Taiwan Ride 2018

Dispatches from a weeklong bicycle trip around southern Taiwan in late 2018. I began the ride in Tainan, crossed into Qishan, headed into the mountainous interior as far as Liugui, did a loop through Pingtung, and finished around Zuoying, visiting the sites of nearly 25 old movie theaters. Many entries remain to be added; this series is far from over.

Yancheng Salt Office(原臺灣總督府專賣局臺南支局鹽埕分室)
Hunei Wenxian Theater(湖內文賢戲院)
Gangshan Shinto Shrine(岡山神社)
Lower Tamsui River Iron Bridge Kaohsiung Section(下淡水溪鐵橋高雄段)
Zhuliao Water Intake Station(大樹竹寮取水站)
Changle Theater(大樹昌樂大戲院)
Gushan Village Old House(姑山里老屋)
Pengtangcheng Tobacco Barn(彭堂城菸樓)
Zilai Theater(自來大戲院)
Neipu Xingnan Village Ritual Paper Incinerator(屏東內埔興南村敬聖亭)
Neipu Qinghe Theater(清河大戲院)
Pingtung Dapeng No. 7 Village(屏東大鵬七村)
Zuoying Qingshui Theater(左營清水大戲院)

Map

Address: 高雄市左營區軍校路2巷38號

Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.

警告：此處已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並做好相關安全防護措施。