This was a blast.
Here is another spot that has been demolished. This park near YuanShan station was frequented by artistic trespassers like myself before its demise in 2018. Â
The barriers around the park were not very strong, which led me to believe nobody really cared that people came in here as long as they weren't causing trouble.
Attitudes in Taiwan towards trespassing and wandering onto property aren't as serious as they are in America. Space is limited and I think people are used to being jammed close together.Â
Obviously the laws still exist and security won't be happy to find you on private property, but here's an example of what I'm talking about:
People often sit on my scooter and use their phones while it's parked outside the store or something. The first time this happened I thought it was a guy was waiting to fight me maybe, but he just got up and left when I approached. It's just a thing people do here.
Despite this, I often get criticized by people on Reddit or Facebook for my abandoned building and rooftop shots. They say I'm taking advantage of lax security, or using my 'foreigner status.'
Technically they're right, but I find that this is a necessary evil of photography. Getting a shot that's interesting sometimes means going places others won't go, or taking risks. Obviously I try to avoid breaking laws as much as possible, but sometimes it's unavoidable if I want to get the shot.
It's a dog eat dog world. And if the most terrible thing I have to do to survive is trespass once in a while or annoy people with my camera, I think I can live with that.
This is not an excuse to break laws and be an asshole, but a simple fact of life. I'd love for you to prove me wrong though.
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