This is a replay but I wasn't able to live-blog during its first airing.
11:01 p.m.
Host Anthony visits Taipei, and is now discussing Chiang Kai-Shek. He's now in Back Chiu. It was ordered by Chiang Kai-Shek to be built as a refuge against communist China in case of air raid. It is one of the most secure places in Taiwan and it was kept secret for 40 years.
In the middle was Chiang Kai-Shek's residence. It's not a secret anymore, though it's still restricted but host Anthony was allowed access. The only people who have set post inside were the soldiers who guarded the area. Of course, the area has now been ravaged by the forest; like a ghost town right smack in the middle of the forest. The soldiers patrolling only knew their post, but not the other areas.
The host is introducing another guide who served Chiang Kai-Shek (an aide-de-camp). Apparently, in case of nuclear attack, a bomb shelter was made in the shape of an F. Main passage leads to the command center. Since the shelter was formed, the aide-de-camp said it has not been used, ever. So, host Anthony got the help of a scientist who'd help him go inside the command center. They used another passageway to get to the secret command center. From the entrance, they have to descend 40 meters deep. Oh, there's a toilet and bathroom. There's a machine which purified the air, and they're now inside the command center. The place is not a shelter for bats. And, it's commercial break.
11:14 p.m.
They're in Kinmin, where military structures are still standing. Anthony and her guide went to see a tunnel where ships passed through; it is called the Ji-Haishan Tunnel. The tunnel was made in just 3 years. The tunnel was recently opened to the public to raise public awareness. Apparently, many people died during the construction.
Gao Liang Winery's up next; a bunker system. There's almost a million liters of wine in the bunkers. The bunker was also used for attack as it housed a radio station airing propaganda ideals.
11:25 p.m.
The Chunglin Combat Village. The inhabitants were mobilized to protect Taiwan at all cost. It's another bunker, an they're at the command center. A lot of women served, as evidenced by the photos. If you're a woman ages 12 to 15 (or 16?), you're in charge of reconnaissance, shuffling messages back and forth. Otherwise, everybody's supposed to defend.
Another tunnel; it just gets narrower and narrower. Not for the claustrophobic. Why the hell are they looking for an exit? They went inside not sure where it is? And they're at another dead end. Gosh. It's like a maze, and thank God, they've found the exit, and it leads to a room and the exit was probably hidden under a bed.
In 1958, China bombarded them with some 400,000+ shells, and they people of Kinmin used these for knives which are now sold around the world. That's just amazing. Where can I buy one? A knife that wields actual piece of history. Some of the shells contains propaganda pamphlets whit pictorial depiction of a modern China. And, they're making a knife.
11:33 p.m.
Host Anthony is now in Hualien to explore Taiwan's Japanese past. Thousand of Japanese settlers traveled to Taiwan to start a new life; for some 50 years, the town thrived. And the Japanese left, leaving everything behind. But some still stands.
They're at a shrine with Buddhist sculptures. Host and his guide are going to haunt for Japanese structures. They're at a Japanese tobacco grind house, made of bamboo, wood pegs and mud. It looks really beautiful even in ruins. they're at another structure, with moving shoji doors but still in ruins, but it's just so beautiful.
And host Anthony heads to Lin Tien Shan, another surviving Japanese town whose main livelihood was logging, which was once prosperous. It's now a national park. There's a trail track for transporting logs. The village chief shows the host tools used for logging. When the Japanese left, the town became like a ghost town but one structure remains, a traditional Japanese house, a home of a former logger.
11:46 p.m.
I have been to Taiwan in June, and I must say that I fell in love with it. And watching this episode makes me want to return to Taiwan the soonest possible time. I really miss Taiwan.
And, the show's back.
Host Anthony's riding a train going to Ping Tung. Oh, it's about the prisoner of wars. They're talking about the Heito Camp where the prisoners raised sugar canes. It's first occupants were American allied forces from the Philippines. The Heito Camp is now used to house aborigines. There were very little escape attempts: first, the prisoners were isolated; second, the high security measures; and third, they're in an island.
They're now at a refinery of some sorts. A bomb fell from the allied forces but it never detonated. Now, it was made into a big blue fish sculpture. And the host went down a shelter under a banyan tree.
11:55 p.m.
How was life for a prison guard and for the prisoners? A former prison guard relives the hardship. When the emperor announced surrender, the Japanese there cried but the Taiwanese wanted to cheer but kept silent. They're lying flowers for the victims of the war. Very moving.
And, that's a wrap. This is the fourth and last episode of the Hidden Cities. I just hope History Channel will make another season. And, hope they could come to the Philippines. We also have own own hidden cities here.
