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On April 20th, 1908, the Northern and Southern sections of the railroad connected in Central Taiwan. After nearly a decade, the North-South Railway finally became fully operational.

This meant a train leaving Taipei at 6 am could arrive at Kaohsiung before 8 pm—the 14-hour trip may seem long now but, back then, it was revolutionary for Taiwan. People had the chance to learn about Taiwan through what they saw through the windows as the trains traveled between the North and the South, which helped to form not only the identity of the land but also of its people. The railway network was more than a form of transportation. It helped to bring the people in Taiwan to new places geographically, politically, and culturally.

Scenery along Railways: Video

Created by Lin Tzu-chuan (1981-)
This video depicts the movement of time with the consecutive frames of a film that roll rapidly to create a sense of motion. Based on his travel experiences, the creator connects views along his journey and interlaces them with the natural scenery of rivers and mountains. By framing the views and scenery with train windows, the creator makes the images look like screenshots. The afterimages of the views and scenery overturn the memories and dreams of life, reconstruct our observation of humanity, and examine the sequence and jolt of the images.