Located in Wanhua District, Taipei City, Bo-Pi Liao historic district faces Lao-Song Elementary School on the north side, extending on the east to Kunming Street, south to Guanzhou Street and west to Kangding Road. During the Qing period, the district was named “Fu-Pi Liao,” and was in the late Qing period changed to “Fu-Di Liao” street. During the Japanese Rule Era, the street was then called “Bei-Pi Liao.” The name “Bo-Pi Liao” only appeared after Japan’s ruling ended. Why was it called “Bo-Pi Liao”? Some believe that in the Qing period, timbers collected by lumberjacks from upstream Tamsui River or shipped to Monga from Fujian province, China, were debarked here, and therefore the name “Bo-Pi” (meaning “debark” in Chinese) was given. Others believe that “Bo-Pi” refers to flaying animals for the leather industry. Scholars’ research suggests that “Bo-Pi” sounds like “Bei-Pi” in Taiwanese, so the name might have been derived from it. However, its origin is already difficult to find out. Books such as “The History of Taipei,” “A Study on the Historical Values of Bo-Pi Liao Historic District” and “Bo-Pi, Face-off: The Remake Project of Bo-Pi Liao Historic District” all used the name “Bo-Pi Liao.” The name hence became the common term adopted.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　

The theory about “debarking”：

According to the book “A Study on the Historical Values of Bo-Pi Liao Historic District,” as Monga was the collecting and distributing center of timbers collected from upstream Tamsui River, and commercial goods exported from Monga also included timbers transported from Fuzhou in China, it was believed that timbers of Chinese fir were shipped from Fujian to Monga, stacked along the Tamsui River, and then carried by animal-drawn wagons to Bei-Pi Liao for debarking. However, records about the industries in Bei-Pi Liao did not include “debarking.’ In addition, as there was only limited space in Bei-Pi Liao, it was difficult to debark timbers there, and the theory of animal-drawn wagons also could not be verified. As a result, this theory is questioned and requires further research.

The theory of “flaying”：

The chapter of “Economic History: Industry” in the book “The History of Taipei” mentioned the leather industry in Taipei, the raw materials of which came from animals. It also stated: “There was a street named “Be-Pi Liao” in Monga, which was also called “Bo-Pi Liao. Behind the street was a pool, which was probably where the animals were slaughtered. The products included suitcases, pillows and drums.” Therefore some believe that “Bo-Pi” refers to “flaying.” However, based on interviews and documents, it is difficult to determine whether the pool close to the Lotus Pond could be used for washing animal skins. Neither can it be confirmed that the flaying industry indeed existed, so this theory also requires further proofs.

The theory of “Bei-Pi”：

In Japanese, “Fu-Pi Liao” is pronounced as „ふくひりょう,“ while “Fu-Di Liao” as “ふくちりょう,” and “Be-Pi Liao” “ほくひりょう.” Thus, some concluded that the name “Be-Pi” Liao resulted from the Taiwanese pronunciation of “Fu-Pi Liao,” and “Bo-Pi Liao” came from a similar Taiwanese pronunciation of “Be-Pi Liao.” At the moment, this theory is not yet confirmed and would require future cultural and history workers to find out the answer.