This page details all of the station memorial stamps for Taipei MRT’s Bannan Line. I collected these (and all of the other Taipei Metro stamps) as part of a personal one-day challenge, but you could just as easily collect the stamps casually as and when you have reason to visit each station.
Basic information: Construction on the Bannan Line (板南線, also called the Blue Line) began in 1990 and the first section (Taipei Main Station to Longshan Temple) went into operation in 1999. Within another couple of years, the line had expanded southwest to Xinpu and the stretch between Kunyang and Taipei City Hall opened too. The latest addition was the stretch between Yongning and Dingpu, which opened in 2015. While many infrastructure projects have hiccups, the Bannan Line seems to have been beset by challenges. The first phase of construction caused a section of the road in Nangang District to cave in on itself, and in 2001, Typhoon Nari flooded the MRT platform at Taipei Main Station.
Number of stations: 23
Length: 29.3km
Stamp description: The Wenhu Line’s commemorative stamps are rendered in blue ink and are slightly squashed hexagons (except for transfer stations, which are black and shaped like a spiky text bubble).
Station music:
BL01 – Dingpu (頂埔)
The landmarks shown on Dingpu’s stamp are Dingpu Zhixing Office Building (which can be found in Dingpu Hi-Tech Industrial Park) and Tucheng Yongfu Temple (土城永福岩). The latter is sometimes also called Tucheng Zushi Temple and is one of several temples in northern Taiwan dedicated to the former Buddhist monk and (others are located in Tamsui, Wanhua, and Sanxia). This fellow was said to have been imbued with divine powers thanks to his unsurpassed understanding of Buddhism, and the idol which is now shared between the Wanhua and Tamsui temples is even credited with having the power to warn and intercede to protect Taiwan in times of danger.
BL02 – Yongning (永寧)
Yongning’s stamp shows a blanket of tung blossom from the nearby Tung Blossom Trail as well as the mountainside Chengtian Temple. Every April and May, the hills here erupt in a spectacular display of flowers and aunties posing.
BL03 – Tucheng (土城)
Tucheng’s stamp shows people farming on their allotments in front of Tucheng Elementary School. The allotments are called Citizen Garden Plots (民農園), and gardeners are encouraged to share part of their harvest with the disadvantaged groups within the community.
BL04 – Haishan (海山)
This stamp shows Haishan Station, some cow-patterned benches from the park above the station and a bridge over the water in Tucheng Linear Park which is apparently a cherry blossom hot spot.
BL05 – Far Eastern Hospital (亞東醫院)
The hospital that this station is named after dominates this image. In front of it, you can see a cyclist riding along Nanzigou Bikeway (湳仔溝自行車道) – one of many interconnecting park and riverside bikeways in the area.
BL06 – Fuzhong (附中)
This stamp shows visitors enjoying a stroll through the Lin Family Gardens and Mansion. This sprawling house and garden complex is an absolutely exquisite example of the architectural style and is well worth a visit.
BL07 – Banqiao (板橋)
The Banqiao stamp shows the giant, all-in-one station building that houses two MRT lines, a TRA station, an HSR station, and a shopping mall. The more interesting-looking building on the left of Banqiao 435 Art Zone (a space with occasional exhibitions, performances and small craft stalls).
BL08 – Xinpu (新埔)
Two markets feature on Xinpu’s stamp. On the right, wares have been set out at Banqiao Flower Market. And on the left, crowds of shoppers browse the goods on offer at Xinpu Market.
BL09 – Jiangzicui (江子翠)
This stamp shows scenes from Banciao’s Music Park. The building is the main feature at the park’s Piano Key Plaza (a kind of outdoor amphitheater with seating that has been painted to resemble piano keys). At the bottom of the image, there’s a boat coming in to dock at Huajiang Wharf.
BL10 – Longshan Temple (龍山寺)
Of course, this stamp depicts Longshan Temple. It also shows some herbal medicine practitioners preparing their wares. This area used to be probably the most important trading hub in old Taipei, and many traditional herbal healers gathered around Longshan Temple to take advantage of both the easy access to raw materials (grown on the riverbanks and/or brought in by boat), and the steady stream of customers. these days, you can still follow your nose to arrive at Herb Alley.
BL11 – Ximen (西門)
There’s a lot happening in this stamp. On the left is the Red House and a reel of film to represent all of the cinemas that can be found in this area. In the middle, milling crowds stand in front of Zhongshan Hall, and on the right, a pipa (a type of stringed instrument).
BL12 – Taipei Main Station (台北車站)
Unsurprisingly, the station is the main feature of this stamp. It includes depictions of pretty much all types of transportation services coming in and out of the station: the HSR, local trains, MRT, buses and taxis. In the background, you can also see Shin Kong Mitsukoshi.
BL13 – Shandao Temple (善導寺)
This stamp shows the archway in front of Shandao Temple as well as some of the preserved buildings of the old Taipei Winery. Formerly part of the Japanese then Taiwanese authorities’ monopoly on alcohol production, this site has found new life as Huashan 1914 Creative Park- an arts and cultural space with shops, exhibitions, movie screenings, and shows.
BL14 – Zhongxiao Xinsheng (忠孝新生)
The three elements that comprise Zhongxiao Xinsheng’s stamp are Taipei National University of Technology, electronic devices from Guanghua Digital Plaza (a tech-lover’s paradise), and bangles from Jianguo Holiday Jade Market.
BL15 – Zhongxiao Fuxing (忠孝復興)
Fittingly, the stamp for this shopping Mecca has a sign reading “Dongqu Underground Shopping Street” and also shows the frontage of SOGO.
BL16 – Zhongxiao Dunhua (忠孝復興)
This stamp shows the perpetual fake waterfall that sits in the middle of the camphor-tree-lined Dunhua North Road.
BL17 – Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館)
A helmeted guard stands watch outside the elegantly sloping roof of Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.
BL18 – Taipei City Hall (市政府)
This stamp shows the blandly/institutionally grand front of Taipei City Hall, as well as a bus leaving the eponymous Taipei City Hall Bus Station.
BL19 – Yongchun (永春)
This stamp shows the fruit and vegetable vendors of Yongchun Market spilling out onto the streets in front of Yongchun Wetland Park.
BL20 – Houshanpi (後山埤)
Charmingly stylish shoppers trail shopping trolleys up and down in front of the wholesale clothing stalls of Wufenpu Market.
BL21 – Kunyang (昆陽)
The most eye-catching element of Kunyang’s stamp is the winged horse on the right. Several of these carousel creatures can be found decorating the station’s walls. It also depicts Nangang Depot, the Bannan line’s train depot. In the past, there used to be a good vantage point here for trainspotters hoping to photograph the emerging trains.
BL22 – Nangang (南港)
A skateboarder enjoys Nangang Skate Park in the foreground of this image, while the combined MRT, train and HSR station, while the shopping mall fills the background.
BL23 – Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre (台北南港展覽館)
This stamp shows people milling about in front of Taipei Exhibition Centre. According to the MRT company’s own materials, this station was designed to mimic the appearance of a giant clam cracked slightly open to reveal a pearl.
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