Guang Hua Digital Plaza
| 光華數位新天地 | |
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| Location | Zhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan |
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| Coordinates | 25°02′42.96″N 121°31′55.92″E / 25.0452667°N 121.5322000°E |
| Opening date | April 1973 (as Guang Hua Market) July 2008 (as Guang Hua Digital Plaza) |
| No. of floors | 6 |
| Guang Hua Digital Plaza | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 光華數位新天地 or 光華商場 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 光华数位新天地 or 光华商场 | ||||||||||
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The Guang Hua Digital Plaza (Chinese: 光華數位新天地 or 光華商場) is a six-story, indoor technological and electronics market located in Taipei, Taiwan. It is located at the intersection of the Zhongzheng and Da'an Districts.
History
[edit]Guang Hua Market was established by the Taipei City Government in April 1973 as a retailer market, using the space beneath the old Guanghua Bridge. Originally, the market specialized in old books, giving it the nickname "old books street" (舊書街). Within a decade, however, electronics retailers gained presence in the market and surrounding streets.
Due to underground railroad construction in 1992, Guang Hua Market was moved to an underground location at the corner of Bade Road and Xinsheng South Road. By this time, the area became known for electronics, with many new stores opening, and the establishment of other electronic markets such as the International Electronics Market (國際電子廣場), Contemporary Life Market (現代生活廣場), and Sanpu Market (三普廣場).
In 2006 due to the demolition of the Guanghua Bridge, Guang Hua Market was moved to a temporary location at the corner of Jinshan North Road and Civic Boulevard. The temporary building consisted of five warehouse-like halls, providing a total of 196 retail stores. Not soon after market moved into its temporary location, construction began on the current six-story Guang Hua Digital Plaza building, which has been its current location since July 2008.
In 2024, tech YouTuber Linus Sebastian of the Linus Media Group posted a YouTube video to the Linus Tech Tips channel documenting his visit to Guang Hua Digital Plaza, where he had a PC setup worth NT$170,000 built. In the video, Sebastian also praised the price given the quality of the build and its careful packaging and donated it to a passerby student outside of the plaza. As of July 2024, the video has garnered over 5.2 million views and was featured on FTV News.[1][2]
Overview
[edit]The Guang Hua Digital Plaza building today consists of six stories above ground and one story below ground. The first story above ground is an exhibition space for electronic products. The second and third stories are the new locations for the 196 vendors of the original Guang Hua Market. The fourth and fifth stories are the new locations for the vendors of Xining Guozhai Electronics Market. The sixth floor is reserved for repair shops, education classes, and offices. The basement floor is parking. The market attracts tens of thousands of visitors each day.[3]
It is located on the corner of Xinsheng North Road (新生北路) and Civic Boulevard (市民大道) and is accessible from the Guanghua Bazaar bus stop and the MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station. The surrounding area and streets are also full of shops selling electronics. Large companies, including Microsoft and Intel, regularly unveil products at Guang Hua Digital Plaza.[4]
Nearby development
[edit]In 2010, the Taipei municipal government sought bids to build a new mall on the parking lots around Guang Hua Plaza.[5] The city announced that the building should be located at the intersection of Civic Boulevard and Jinshan South Road, have a total of 21 floors (15 aboveground, six below); and occupy a total floor space of 2678 ping, or 8,850 square metres (95,300 sq ft). The park will also include hotel rooms, offices, and restaurants. On April 27, 2010, the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project was awarded to the Hon Hai Group, beating out four other bidders.[6]
The new building opened in May 2015 as Syntrend Creative Park, featuring a technology exhibition center, digital entertainment zone, and business cultivation center.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ I Bought a $5000 PC in a Random Asian Tech Mall (Video). 2024-06-23. Retrieved 2024-07-08 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Viral video from Canadian tech YouTuber showcases Taiwan's self-built computers". FTV News. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Guang Hua Digital Plaza doing stellar business". Central News Agency. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- ^ "Taipei's computer plaza expects new role". Central News Agency. 2010-02-19. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- ^ "Taipei starts selecting partner for 'Info Park'". The China Post. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- ^ "Hon Hai wins BOT contract to build information park". Central News Agency. 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
