PROVENANCE:
Collection of John Richard Rohrbough (lived in Taiwan in 1960s, acquired directly from the artist), Australia
Private collection, Australia (inherited from the above, 2002)

Ximending was named during the Japanese occupation. In 1895, under an initiative by the Japanese government, the area was transformed into a high class entertainment and commercial district and also contained living quarters for Japanese citizens. Most residents at that time lived within the city limits of Taipei, and Ximending was where they spent their leisure time. In 1949, as the Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang) government retreated to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War, a large influx of capital was also brought into the area. Many wealthy Shanghainese refugees, in particular, invested large amounts of funds to open department stores. Nightclubs, disco halls, cafés, brokerages, and 37 movie theaters sprang up in the area, creating a thriving, lively atmosphere like never before. Completion of the Zhonghua Commercial district project in 1961 linked businesses together in Ximending and Taipei’s midtown, ushering in the area’s peak stage of development. In a short span of time, Ximending quickly rose to become the nation’s premier business center and heart of entertainment.

Shiy De-jinn painted this piece, Shimending, in 1967, which was when Ximending was in its prime. The artist craftily captures the bustling streets at nightfall as pedestrians intermingle with vendors and a sea of towering signs of various hotels, barber shops, pawn shops, snack stands, and grocers hang overhead. Shiy De-jinn’s characteristic black contour lines are the perfect style to depict the busy street scene. His superb choice of color brilliantly accents the vivacious crowd in the foreground while capturing the dim glow of the night sky in blotches of scarlet. Perhaps it would be difficult to locate the exact location of where this painting takes place on a map. The building in the distant center is likely the Presidential Building. According to the relative geographical location, Shiy must have rearranged the elements in the scene to achieve this unique composition. Shiy De-jinn, a great admirer of all things beautiful, clearly set out to capture beauty in this piece—and in doing so, he recorded his own vision of the most beautiful likeness of Ximending.