Green Lake, Taipei, Taiwan, 1957-58

 Almost south of Taipei is a lake which provides a relaxing and peaceful break from the craziness of the bustling downtown area of Taipei.  Bitan Lake, known to us as Green Lake, is situated in the Xindian District in the extreme southern part of Taipei.   

It appears to be right on the Xindian River.  To check for yourself, here are the coordinates for Google Earth.  24 57'26.06"N, 121 32'09.47"E.

Many pictures have been taken of the area over the decades, but probably the best ones are in a section of taipics.com which can be seen by clicking HERE

A modern-day collection of pictures of the lake can be seen at Kent Mathieu's taipeiairstation.blogspot.com.  You can view Kent's collection by clicking HERE



Fortunately, my little guide book contained a page on Pitan Lake. The time period here is 1966.



Photo courtesy of Tom Jones

Although this photo of Green Lake is over 50 years old, it appears as though it could have been taken today.

Photo courtesy of Tom Jones

One of the unique features of Bitan Lake is the pedestrian suspension bridge. If this photo were a painting, it could be a Courier and Ives. It's perfect. 

Photo courtesy of Tom Jones

The mountains in the background provide a beautiful view along the Xindian River area. 

Photo courtesy of Tom Jones

This is a coal mine located near the lake itself.

Jason Chen gave permission to show his stacking of Tom Jones' picture with his own present-day photo of the same area.

Photo courtesy of Tom Jones

This is simply a picture of a boat transporting folks.

Again, Jason Chen has taken Tom's 1957 photo and stacked it with a 2012 picture. Whatever Jason has circled is unknown.