Hydraulic Engineering Office

A new embankment wall painting under appears in Songhe Street under the “Taipei Embankment Story” program! It features four beasts in a cute appearance: Elephant, Lion, Pather, and Tiger. In addition to attracting public attention, it also links to regional history, such as the small train, 100-year-old tiger’s claw (Erythrina variegata) tree, and others. When visiting the Raohe Street Night Market on holidays, don’t forget to take a look at these four cute beasts.

This new embankment wall painting in Songhe Street is truly different. Standing life-like on the embankment, each beast instantly attracts public attention with a vivid color scheme and witty style. Celebrated designer Erica Wang-Ling Su (蘇琬羚) presents the commonly known Four Beasts Mountain (四獸山) in love images. These paintings begin with the carp corresponding to the shape of Songshan, which looks like a tail of carp. According to regional legends, the Songshan Ciyou Temple (松山慈祐宮) is the head of the carp. In the ancient time, Songshan District was called “Xikou”. It covered the present-day Songsha, Xinyi, and Nangang areas.

Centered around the Keelung River course, Su penetrates the entire painting with blue to demonstrate the natural changes between the daytime and the nighttime. The small train representing the mine cart in the past also symbolizes the birth of the Songhan Railway Station. The 100-year-old tiger’s claw tree blossoming with red flowers symbolizes the history of Songshan Elementary School. Additionally, the Formosan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea) in the skyline symbolizes the vigor and metamorphosis of Taipei. The painting enables the public to shuffle across time and space to feel the fusion of the past and the present.

In addition to the natural landscape, the artist also infuses the cultural contents and history of Songhsan in the painting. Through these creative color paintings, the Hydraulic Engineering Office (HEO) presents the nature and culture of Songshan and composes the story unique to Songhe Street. To change the rigid stereotype and incoherence with the local environments of embankments, HEO has been promoting the “Taipei Embankment Story” program to embellish the local environment and link to regional elements with embankment wall paintings. Apart from maintaining the flood control function of embankments, the program keeps embankments closer to the daily life of residents by turning cold, hard structures into creations with warm stories.