Bagua Salon
Mr. Yu-zheng Su relating the purpose of founding Bagua Salon
Through the help of Meng-juin Wang, a retired teacher from our school, we were able to contact the owner of Bagua Salon, Mr. Yu-zheng Su, who also happens to be one of the founding members of Xiaoxi Cultural Association. Bagua Salon is located on Yongxing Street, next to A-huei Plain Noodles. Back in the day, to promote Xiaoxi culture, Mr. Su even founded in the Xiaoxi alleyways the Xiaoxi Coffee Shack, but because he had no time to manage the coffee shop, and because the original space rented for the shop, the Sanhe Hotel, has now been leased to other individual business parties, the shop is currently not in business, but charismatic works are still left on the walls.
Our questions
1.What was Xiaoxi Street like during the Japanese Occupation Period?
Xiaoxi Street was developed around Changhua Eki as its center during the Japanese rule. Changhua Eki, the Changhua Train Station of today, being situated at the point where the mountain and sea railway lines converged, made the traffic convenient, and Xiaoxi prospered as a result.
2.Were the east, south, west, and north town gates from Qing Dynasty all torn down? What was the order in which they were torn down?
Yes, they were all torn down during the Japanese Occupation period, and out of the four the north gate was the first to be removed, whereas the east gate remained the longest; hence, the order in which they were torn down was north, west, south, and finally east.
3.When was the town around Xiaoxi Street founded?
It was completed about 300 years ago, during Qing Dynasty. At the time, to prevent against theft and robbery, the original town walls built out of mud was renovated into a brick wall with east, south, west, and north gates. Xiaoxi was located somewhere between the north and west gate, and grew into a prosperous area because of its location. Because Xiaoxi was closer to the west gate, it gradually came to be known as Xiaoxi (meaning “Little West”).
4.Why found Bagua Salon?
I wanted to build and manage a locale that had distinct character, such as that found in the various cuisines, and Bagua Salon is founded in the hope that those who come to visit or wish to understand more about Xiaoxi may stop by this salon to acquaint themselves with the culture and history of Xiaoxi, as well as to make friends.
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| Mr. Yu-zheng Su demonstrating how to transform garbage into gold | Photo with Mr. Yu-zheng Su in front of Bagua Salon |
