Shan Ding Lu

Most electrical work in Taiwan is quite professional. The original power circuits in our house are all orderly, neat and tidy. It is the homespun additions to original circuits that demonstrate that artistic license rather than an electricians license was involved. Here are a collection of such wiring.

The open-air switchboard of a street-side food store. Here the free form wiring is starkly contrasted by the accumulation of cooking oil and street dust.

Above our kitchen sink is an added power point. It is a classic homespun addition. The extension wire consists of two short pieces joined together with colour-coordinated insulation tape. Notice the 5 degree to vertical slant on the wall enclosure. Very artistic.

At the barbers where I get my haircut a single extension lead wanders across to roof to power the fan, lights and a dangling lead is used to connect the cutters.

The local fish markets where each vendor is responsible for the space above and below their stand. Better to stick to the fishing I think.

Now here is a real Christmas tree of connections. Inside the heaven and hell exhibit at a temple. This hell-like connection is in the heaven section.

Inside a railway carriage at a children’s festival electrical power and an extra electrical appliance were hastily added to this converted railway carriage. No power plug available? No problem, just insert the wires directly. That should do it.

In a large clothing store there was obviously not quite enough light in this section. The solution, some fencing wire, florescent fixtures and some conduit. Seven fixtures are held up by a single wire strand above these shoppers heads.

When I was in Koahsiung in 1989 there was a major building fire somewhere in the city almost every week. Though fires don’t seem as regular now, wirings such as these always present a hazard.

Tags: Collections, Taiwan, Uncategorized //