It had been such a long, long time since I’d visited Kaohsiung. As far as I can remember, I hadn’t set foot in Kaohsiung City since my junior high school’s accelerated program took us south to tour universities. I’d been to Kenting and Tainan, but somehow always skipped Kaohsiung. Come to think of it, it had been seven years.
I remember thinking to myself during that visit: I am absolutely not going to school in Kaohsiung. It’s far away and unbearably hot, and the streets we passed at night were filthy. We even saw women who looked like they were negotiating paid dates in front of a hotel, so I was left with a terrible impression of the city. But over the past few years, the Kaohsiung I’ve seen on TV and in photos online has looked completely different from the one I remembered.Beautiful, modern buildings and facilities have sprung up one after another, while the Love River has gone from a dirty waterway to a romantic destination for evening cruises, making me want to come and see Kaohsiung for myself.
The final push that made this wish come true was the hugely popular TV drama “Black & White.”Through director Tsai Yueh-hsun’s lens, Kaohsiung looked incredibly beautiful—the World Games venues, the Kaohsiung MRT, Dream Mall, streetscapes large and small, and the harbor. Add in my own obsession with the show, and when I saw that “Black & White” was going to holda street-closing finale party in Kaohsiung, with a chance to tour the luxurious home of “the Ruffian,” Chen Zaitian, Hao-Hao and I immediately decided we absolutely had to go!! The timing happened to coincide with his round-the-island cycling trip, so after a bit of planning, Kaohsiung became one of the stops on his journey.
The event was held on Saturday, 6/27. That morning, ticket holders could line up to tour the luxury home where Chen Zaitian—played by Vic Chou—lived in the show. Although 3,000 tickets had been sold, only 600 people would be admitted, so I was really nervous that we wouldn’t make the cut. Luckily, Hao-Hao, who was in the middle of cycling around Taiwan, and his high school classmate Kyle arrived in Kaohsiung bright and early without a hitch. They lined up first, which meant I could leisurely take the morning high-speed rail down to Kaohsiung. Hahahaha.
Once I arrived in Kaohsiung, I headed straight for Chen Zaitian’s place because I had everyone’s tickets. No tickets, no numbered passes! But when I reached the queue, this was the scene that greeted me ↑: thesetwo tough guys cycling around Taiwan were actually being interviewed. Their outfits were probably too eye-catching to ignore, and making a special stop to see “Black & White” while cycling around the island did sound pretty impressive! I was quietly taking photos of them from the side, but as soon as their interview ended, the reporter said, “We might as well interview this young lady too…” And just like that, I somehow got interviewed as well. If I’d known, I would have brought FunsNote along and done a little promotion! What a missed opportunity~
They had actually received our numbered passes well before the interview, and the numbers were pretty early too!! They were amazing. There was still a huge line of people stretching out behind us. After wandering around and taking photos, we didn’t have to wait very long before we were allowed inside. Chen Zaitian’s luxury home was on the rooftop of Kaohsiung’s Guocheng UFO. Since everyone kept mentioning the Software Park, I had always assumed it was on top of some office building. It turned out thatGuocheng UFO was actually a pre-sale residential development(luxury residences, admittedly), andChen Zaitian’s luxury home was going to be put up for auction. What an incredibly clever marketing strategy—sponsor a TV drama to sell real estate!
The staff guided us into an elevator and up to the rooftop, where scenes from the show immediately appeared before our eyes!
[ The entrance to the luxury home and the front pool ]This spot appeared in the show all the time. Chen Lin, Chen Zaitian, Wu Yingxiong, Xiao Ma, and others all had either emotional exchanges or tense, suspenseful encounters in front of this door.
[ The front pool, photographed from the entrance ]The weather was wonderful that day. The blue sky reflected on the water and looked gorgeous~~ The tree rising out of the pool also gave the whole setting a wonderfully elegant feel.
[ A side view of the front pool from the entrance ]
Still the same pool, just photographed from another angle—but it looked beautiful no matter how I shot it! I love houses built with materials like these~
[ Chen Zaitian’s bed ]As soon as we entered, we saw this double bed in Chen Zaitian’s home. The opening scene of the very first episode was filmed right here!
[ The bar inside the room ]
Right beside the bed was the bar, with the refrigerator next to it always stocked full of Budweiser. Having a bar like this in your room is just too cool—I want one too! From a practical standpoint, though, that counter at the back holding all the bottles and glasses must collect dust like crazy. Hahahaha.
[ Inside the room ]
I tried my best to capture the entire room, but the light outside was too strong and there were too many blind spots, so I only managed to photograph the sofa and bar areas. The whole room was actually quite small~ Yet it looked huge on camera! The lens instantly transformed an upscale room into a sprawling mansion!
[ The rear pool ]
Anyone who watched “Black & White” will know that this was the highlight of the entire home—the rear pool! Scene after scene between the Ruffian and Chen Lin unfolded here: touching, angry, heartbreaking. All their conversations began in this very spot.
[ The pool from another angle ]
Everyone followed the little path around the pool. With the water and the 85 Sky Tower behind it, the view was truly wonderful!
[ The luxury home viewed from the rear pool ]
I have no idea what that pointed thing on the roof was, but it became a distinctive feature of this rooftop home. Paired with the blue sky and the water in the pool, it would have made a gorgeous photo if there hadn’t been so many people around.
[ The emergency door beside the back entrance ]
This location appeared once in the show. When that brother-and-sister pair showed up at Chen Zaitian’s home, they ran onto the platform by this emergency door!
[ Seating on the rear-pool terrace ]
The view from the rear pool was truly beautiful~~ On the right, you could see the lively area around the 85 Sky Tower, while straight ahead was the harbor. From the angle of this photo, you could see everything at once!
[ The view directly ahead from the rear pool ]
Directly ahead of the rear pool was Kaohsiung Harbor! You could see the enormous harbor and huge ships, neatly capturing one of Kaohsiung’s defining features.
After leaving Chen Zaitian’s home—which was on the left as you exited the elevator—we walked over to the right side to explore the rest of the rooftop. To our surprise, we found the rooftop of the building where Dreamer was produced. So when the show said that “Chen Zaitian lives on top of the Dreamer factory,” and when they filmed the raid on the Dreamer operation, it was all real. Those scenes weren’t stitched together from two different locations!
[ The entrance and pool of the luxury home, photographed from the right side ]
It had a slightly Japanese, contemporary architectural style. The design really had character.
[ The pipework ]
This pipework also appeared in the show. When Lan Ying deduced that Dreamer had flowed into Chen Zaitian’s home through these pipes, causing Dreamer to show up in his system as well, she was standing right here.
[ Landscaping beside the pipework ]
The entire garden was designed using tiered planters and trees like these, creating a relaxed, comfortable sense of luxury.
[ Entrance to the Dreamer building ]
This location appeared frequently during the Dreamer storyline in the earlier episodes. Whether it was Gao Yi secretly carrying Dreamer in and out or the police making their incredibly cool final raid, everyone entered through here! This was also an enormous rooftop terrace.
[ View from the Dreamer rooftop terrace ]
The view here was fantastic! Kaohsiung’s weather was also wonderful—although very hot. The sky was a beautiful blue, with just enough clouds, and the towering 85 Sky Tower and other modern high-rises completed the scene. So pretty~
[ On the Dreamer terrace ]
We spent the entire afternoon waiting to enter and touring Chen Zaitian’s luxury home, and all I can say is that it was absolutely worth it. Seeing this beautiful little room in person, along with so many familiar locations from the show, was amazing. Every time I recognized a spot, I immediately connected it to a scene from the drama. The location itself was excellent, with wide-open, beautiful views. I would have loved to see what it looked like at night. I really wanted to live there~ When “Black & White” held that prize draw for a night in a luxury suite at the Splendor Hotel, they should have offered a night at Chen Zaitian’s place instead. Everyone would have gone completely crazy for it!
I don’t know whether “Black & White” will ever open the location to visitors again. We were so lucky to get numbered passes and have the chance to go inside. If it ever opens again, everyone should definitely go and experience it!
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Guocheng UFO, Kaohsiung Software Park |
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