and on the surface it looks like an ordinary alley

but with enough patience

there will be a few surprises waiting for you at the end.

321 Alley is an arts village in Tainan

that has grown increasingly popular for tourists in recent years.

In the beginning, it was built to accommodate

Japanese soldiers during Japanese colonization.

After the Republic of China took over Taiwan,

it became the place to stay for people that worked

in a top-secret factory for assembling military weapons nearby.

In 1946,

National Cheng Kung University, a prestigious university in Taiwan,

rented the property as dormitories for its professors,

during which a lot of scholars and artisans have lived here.

As the years gone by, the military factory was moved to another area

and this district became vacant, quickly losing its spirit.

Thanks to a group of historic preservationists,

the dormitories are still intact today.

In 2012, under the planning of Tainan City Government,

various different art groups moved in,

forming an art village, also bring new potential to the area.

Right now, I am here to visit the Tainaner Ensemble in 321 Lane.

Here I am to meet the head of this performing and arts group.

Nice to meet you, director.

Can you tell me about this place

and how you're using it for performance

in such a beautiful and lovely place?

You might want to explore a bit of every building in this area

since they are all well maintained.

To learn how they were first built many years ago.

I would say it is the artists who actually make it interesting

their talents and specialties.

When the artists move into the place,

they improve it along with their specialties.

For example, “Tainaner Drama Garden”

is hoping to become a space for performance.

There are constant changes here all the time.

Sometimes this is the audience area.

Sometimes it's over there.

So our stage is always changing.

It's an environment set to change.

The interaction between people and space is the most valuable.

Many works are produced this way.

I think it's worth a visit.

This is another beautiful and well preserved building of the area.

It used to be the home of a late Taiwanese artist, Guo Bo-chuan.

It is now a memorial open to public for everyone to remember him.

The first time I came here

and decided to stay as an artist

is because of the plants and garden outside.

and the sensation I felt after walking inside.

I used to be an artist who only knew how to make art.

But after coming here,

I discovered how to take care of plants.

It's actually quite a hard work.

I have to dig, pull out of the weeds.

But through this laborious process,

I realized that even plants have their special ways of living.

So no matter if we're organizing art events for the public

or if it's only a personal philosophy,

or even how to preserve a space full of history,

these plants and flowers outside

have influenced me significantly.

Walking in here,

you can still feel the vibes as if he's still living here.

Even in the gardens, there are lots of flowers and grass.

It's as if you can imagine

him still here, gardening and with us in his yard.

When people visit, they should keep a relaxed attitude.

Because what's special about this place is that,

even though it used to be someone's home.

After our art company moved in

We hold various exhibitions and events from time to time

for the public to enjoy together.

Mr. Guo also has some paintings here

and the space itself,

it's almost preserved to look the way it did.

321 Art Alley is preserved to resemble the way it look back in the days.

Yet at the same time, in recent years,

with new street art, decorations, and creativity,

there is an additional artistic touch to it.

No matter if you're here for the history or the artistic renovations,

you're in the right place to have a nice stroll and a good time.