the dimmed city

Friday, 5th of April 2024

Keelung, Northern Taiwan

A veil of mist lies over the city. Its humidity is what characterizes this place. Made it become what it is and further lets it be what it is.

Clouds hanging so low - or is that already the sky? It's usually hard to tell here. Keelung looks as if drenched in a dull gray-green color. Trees and buildings become one in the distance. Nothing shines in this town except for the neon lights coming from the billboards.

If the city once shone, those days are long gone. The rain has long since stopped washing the buildings clean. The paint is off and has made way for the layer underneath, full of honesty and charm.

It is as if there is a silent agreement between the country and the city. As if the two have entered into a symbiosis. It all fits.

Keelung is squeezed between the South China Sea and the hills of the Taiwanese coast. The abundant rain makes those appear the greenest of greens. On most days, clouds hang lazily around it. The city lies sleepily here in its homeland.

The town is divided by a narrow canal that is only a few hundred meters long. What it was made for, I don't know. But it offers people a place to walk and fish and it creates space in an area that is otherwise densely built up.

One city, two bodies of water, 3 or 4 main streets. Inside are countless narrow, high alleyways. They stand in contrast to the rest of the city. They are where people live. No more crowds, no more traffic. Still in the middle, it is suddenly a little quieter.

These alleyways are what leads one out of the city. At their end: the beginning of green, tall grown forests on steep mountain slopes. Stairs leading to them and up to the old houses. If you climb the steps, no matter which and no matter where, you find yourself with a view over the entire neighborhood.

Mossy corrugated iron roofs and everything else that cannot be seen from below are revealed here. The city seems to have turned a 180 degrees.

Here, at the edges of the city, it is as if the volume wheel has been turned all the way down. As if you had passed an invisible wall. The city becomes a village and it's wonderful.

Back in the hustle and bustle of Keelung - hidden markets in alleyways and along busy streets. They are everywhere where there is space and also where there is none.

The market culture is huge in this small town. You can find one at any time of the day.

What they always have room for though is a get-together. Old women sitting in circles on rustic plastic chairs. How many years have they been coming together here and what do they gossip about?

One market is different from all the others, it stands out. The Keelung night market takes up all the space it needs. It's one of the rowdiest I've experienced in this country and at the same time one of the most exciting.

18:13 Dusk is almost over and the night is getting ready to descend on the city. But even it can't bring Keelung to rest.

Here by the river you have a good view over all the lights. Somewhat removed from the crowdedness, but still right in the middle of it all. The billboards and store fronts glow brightly in the otherwise dimmed Keelung. Its glow is being reflected in the now dark water of the canal, creating a small sea of lights. The grey water is sparkling brightly. The light of the city is the only thing that will ever give it color.

Along the riverbank no two houses look alike. Neither from the inside nor the outside. I wonder what is hiding behind its walls.

A different scent on every street corner. The sidewalks are narrow, like everywhere else. Here and there the melody of the garbage truck can be heard.

People go about their day. They walk from a to b, always on the move, or so it seems. It is their city.

The old and the young share the path along the canal for their nightly stroll. Fishing here and there. They know each other, somehow.

This city is so lively, seems worn out and loved. It is approachable and personal. It has so much community, is so familiar with itself.

Keelung's colors - washed off. All too often its outline blurs, becomes one with the background.

You could walk through this place for another 100 years and still discover something new. The fact that everything is constantly changing becomes clear once again in Keelung.

Everything is so different from the part of the world I call home. I think the beauty of it can easily be seen in my words.