Xander ✺ Spectral Codex

@SpectralCodex@indieweb.social
228 Followers
173 Following
150 Posts
Web developer, biogeography grad, amateur history and urbanism enthusiast, theater hunter, leftish, avid cyclist. Here to share/discuss/learn, aiming to keep my contributions constructive. Based in Taipei, Taiwan 🇹🇼
Homepagehttps://spectralcodex.com
Twitterhttps://www.twitter.com/SpectralCodex
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Xander ✺ Spectral CodexMar 24
Chase W. Nelson 倪誠志Mar 19

Mahmoud Khalil’s letter from ICE detention.
h/t @SpectralCodex

LETTER FROM A PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONER IN LOUISIANA
“My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner. I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against a great many people...” https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25592020/letter-from-a-palestinian-political-prisoner-in-louisiana-march-18-2025.pdf

Xander ✺ Spectral CodexOct 14, 2024
Zilai Theater is widely known in southern Taiwan for its dilapidated appearance, proximity to military bases, and small town setting in rural Pingtung. Apart from that, not much seems to be known about its operating history, so this entry is mostly speculative. #TheaterHunt #Taiwan https://spectralcodex.com/neipu-zilai-theater/
Xander ✺ Spectral CodexOct 7, 2024
Mozilla shutting down an instance reminded me that for all the talk of being able to jump from server to server your content doesn't follow.
Xander ✺ Spectral CodexSep 21, 2024
Today is the 25th anniversary of the catastrophic 921 Earthquake in Taiwan. It is also one of the major themes explored on my site, so browse on over for some photos, commentary, and a map of affected sites, mostly in Nantou and Taichung. https://spectralcodex.com/themes/921-earthquake/
921 Earthquake (九二一大地震) - Spectral Codex

Photo essays, road trips, and a geospatial database with a particular emphasis on the history and culture of Taiwan.

Xander ✺ Spectral CodexSep 17, 2024
The plaque next to the entrance of this abandoned building in Keelung suggests this was a geisha management office, one of the very few physical traces of Japanese colonial red-light districts remaining in Taiwan. It was extensively modified in the post-war tumult. https://spectralcodex.com/keelung-tianliaogang-kenban/
Keelung Tianliaogang Kenban (基隆田寮港檢番) - Spectral Codex

Completed in 1927, this is a former management office for one of more than a dozen officially sanctioned red-light districts in Japanese colonial Taiwan. After the war it was repurposed for use as a police dormitory and later abandoned. Although there is some interest in preserving the building it is privately owned and may be demolished at any time.

Xander ✺ Spectral CodexSep 7, 2024
Here's a post about an old 1930s Japanese colonial era police station in the hills of eastern Tainan. When I visited in 2018 it was abandoned, but local government got around to restoring it in 2022 or so. https://spectralcodex.com/dongshan-niurouqi-police-station/
Dongshan Niurouqi Police Station (東山牛肉崎警察官吏派出所) - Spectral Codex

Japanese colonial police station, abandoned and accessible. Also known as Shuiyun Police Station (水雲派出所). The school behind it (水雲國小) is also partly abandoned, or at least neglected.

Xander ✺ Spectral CodexSep 4, 2024
I'm on a mission to document every old movie theater in Taiwan... and they can't all be visually appealing and/or super interesting! This entry details a mixed-use theater and traditional market on the outskirts of Tainan dating back to 1969. https://spectralcodex.com/rende-chongde-theater/
Rende Chongde Theater (仁德崇德戲院) - Spectral Codex

Former golden age theater in suburban Rende operating from 1969 to 1989. It was renovated into a KTV and has since been abandoned. Although the interior has been extensively modified the columns out front match archival photos from its opening day. Sometimes referred to solely as Rende Theater (仁德戲院).

Xander ✺ Spectral CodexSep 4, 2024
Strange to see so much anti-Bluesky posting when logging in here at Mastodon. Especially when it's mostly (or all?) based on hypotheticals.
Xander ✺ Spectral CodexSep 1, 2024
Slowly documenting the many components of the Sun Moon Lake Hydroelectric Project. This particular example is a reinforced concrete aqueduct carrying tailwater from one generating station to the next. Completed in 1937 and still in use today! Also survived 921, which struck this part of Taiwan especially hard.
https://spectralcodex.com/shuili-toushe-aqueduct/
Shuili Toushe Aqueduct (水里頭社水路橋) - Spectral Codex

Completed in 1937, this sturdy aqueduct spans a river behind the scenic Mingtan Reservoir (明潭水庫). It is one of many parts of the Sun Moon Lake Hydroelectric Project still in use. Also known more generally as Shuili Aqueduct (水里水橋) or Shuili Water-Crossing Bridge (水里過水橋).

Xander ✺ Spectral CodexAug 28, 2024
Beipu Post Office was established in Shuili, Nantou County, in 1933. It served the needs of local residents for nearly 70 years but was closed after suffering damage in the 921 Earthquake. And as of today, it is nothing more than woodchips and broken glass. https://spectralcodex.com/shuili-beipu-post-office/
Shuili Beipu Post Office (水里北埔郵便局) - Shuili Beipu Post Office (水里北埔郵便局)

Established in 1933, this historic Japanese colonial era post office was left in ruins after the 921 Earthquake and unceremoniously destroyed in 2024.