Alexa
  • Directory of Taiwan

Video of 'Lost Places' in Taiwan

A video of many hidden gems in Taiwan has been filmed by German actor Alexander Hoffmann

  4906
Screenshot of 'Lost Places' video by Alexander Hoffman.

Screenshot of 'Lost Places' video by Alexander Hoffman.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- German actor and marketing executive, Alexander Hoffmann, has created an intriguing video showing hidden gems in Taiwan that are far off the normal tourist path.

On Oct. 16, Hoffmann, 32, posted the latest video of his adventures exploring secret spots in Taiwan on his Facebook fan page, shot entirely with a drone. In the opening scene of the video wetlands of Wanyou Forest (忘憂森林) in Nantou County, which soon gives way to a derelict merry-go-round in the defunct Encore Garden (亞哥花園) in Taichung's Beitun District.

Next, is a look at the still stately Jukuiju Mansion (聚奎居), which is situated in Taichung's Wuri District and was once the home of a famous poet who went by the name of Chen Jo-shih (陳若時), but has been abandoned for many years.

Video of 'Lost Places' in Taiwan
Jukuiju Mansion in 2013. (Wikimedia Commons)

An apocalyptic scene of the carcass of a car in front of windmills then appears followed by the view from a bone white building and its vast parking lot. These scenes were all shot in Changhua County's Shengang Township. Hoffmann advised visitors to be careful when nearing the car shown in the video as it was filmed during low tide, because during high tide it is completely immersed.

The remains of the 1,000 seat Xiluo theater (西螺戲院) situated in Xiluo Township, Yunlin County, are then shown from overhead. The baroque building was built in the 1940s as an opera theater, but was abandoned in the 1990s.

Video of 'Lost Places' in Taiwan
Xiluo Theater in Xiluo Township, Yunlin County. (Wikimedia Commons)

Toward the end, a tunnel of an abandoned railway called Neishechuan Railway (內社川鐵橋) in Miaoli County's Sanyi Township then comes into view. Later, a collapsed footbridge and precariously standing bridge of the Neishechuan Railway can be seen as well. The video closes with a wide shot of the Wangyou Forest.

Video of 'Lost Places' in Taiwan
Screenshot of the railway bridge from Hoffmann's video.

Some of the areas shown in the video fenced off, such as the amusement park, the railway bridge, the Jukuiju Mansion, so visitors enter at their own risk.

Hoffmann, came to Taiwan six months ago to join his girlfriend who is studying here. He enjoyed Taiwan so much that he found work at a Taiwanese company as an international marketing executive.

Hoffmann also works part-time as a model and actor. In his free time, he likes to "explore the island and share its hidden beauty with my community."