National Day 1959: do you recognize this part of Miaoli?
Before looking at the parade, look at the shop names. Does one help you recognize the street?
A typographic design based on the catalogue; not a reconstruction of the original signs.
On 10 October 1959, students paraded along Zhongzheng Road in southern Miaoli. An everyday shopping street became a place of National Day celebrations.
An old photograph can help us recognize a street
Store No. 5 found a photograph by Chen Yun-jin. The Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank identifies it as a student parade in southern Miaoli on National Day 1959. Hua Nan Bank, Qiu Dental Clinic and Miaoli Credit Cooperative appear in its description.
The image records both the celebration and everyday businesses. Decades later, those names give us clues to explore the city.
View the 1959 original catalogue ↗You know the names. What about the location?
A Google Street View frame dated July 2024 shows signs for Hua Nan Bank and Qiu Dental Clinic. Their names provide a starting point for comparison.
The bank’s official directory lists its current Miaoli branch at 686 Zhongzheng Road. Matching names do not establish that the buildings are original or that the businesses never moved.
- Find the Hua Nan Bank sign.
- Look for the nearby dental clinic.
- Compare the road and buildings; consider where the old photographer stood.
Open the location and enter Street View. Use the capture date shown by Google; this link does not fix the July 2024 panorama.
Two years later, a parade passed the old county office
In 1961, the provincial Miaoli Agricultural School’s National Day procession passed the then county government office. Qiu De-yun’s photograph records tricycles, bicycles and the office streetscape.
This is a different year and location. Together, the records reveal celebrations in ordinary Miaoli streets; they do not establish one continuous parade route.
View the 1961 original catalogue ↗Does your family remember Zhongzheng Road?
Did you or a relative join a Miaoli National Day parade? Which shop did your family visit? Which sign would you recognize immediately?
Share the year, place and memory through Store No. 5’s LINE. If you have photographs, please discuss their source and permission before publication.
Share your Miaoli memory ↗Step out of Miaoli Station and start reading Miaoli.
After your walk, find Store No. 5
Combine Zhongzheng Road with the area around Miaoli Station. Store No. 5 is at No. 37 Railway Village on the rear-station side; park admission rules apply.
Store location and visiting information →Sources and image notes
The 1959 schools, full route and precise camera position remain unverified. The 1961 record is separate. No historical photographs are reproduced here, and no additional photo permission has been requested or obtained.
國家文化記憶庫／苗栗縣政府文化觀光局。描述文字：唐菓創意有限公司，CC BY 3.0 TW+。1959 image: CC BY-NC 3.0 TW+; 1961 image: CC BY 3.0 TW+. Text adapted; images not reproduced.