Essay: The Age of Grand Openings in 2026

Last weekend I performed at Le Fang Performance Space in Tamsui. Kids who grew up in Taipei probably have some memories of Tamsui, right?

In those early years when I decided to pursue music, I was still living in my hometown of Sanxia and would occasionally come to Tamsui to clear my head. During that period of confusion, sitting in the shade by the Tamsui River was one of the few times I could truly relax.

Oh right, the song "It's Alright" was inspired here, and I finished it slowly at home afterwards.

Have you ever had the thought of "hating yourself from a certain period"? Or something less dramatic—"why did I do that back then?" When I look at my own work, I sometimes feel this way too. There was a time when I didn't really want to play "It's Alright" because I felt it was too long, with too much internal monologue. As a result, this song wasn't performed live for quite a while. Some people even asked me why they hadn't heard this song recently.

Once I came across an old diary entry documenting my life during the period when I wrote this song. As I read through it and reflected, it felt like I could close my eyes and return to my mental state back then. Suddenly, I made peace with this piece.

"Right, that's how I felt back then. This song is exactly what I would have written in that state of mind."

Influenced by the social atmosphere around us, growing up is always about looking outward and comparing ourselves to others, to the point where we can't even truly accept ourselves.

Anyway, I've written so much but haven't even mentioned the title of this article yet—the Age of Grand Openings in 2026. After the performance that day, I called for a ride home, and unexpectedly the driver headed toward the Tamsui River Bridge. After it opened, traffic became more convenient, and you can now take Route 64 toward Sanchong and Wugu. I really wanted to come see the sunset over the Tamsui River Bridge during this visit, though the weather wasn't great that day so I didn't get to see it. But riding directly over it in a car sounds even more exciting!

On the other hand, the Sanying MRT Line officially opened just a few days ago. It happens to connect the two places from the "It's Alright" era story. Is this a coincidence?

Tamsui River Bridge at Night

The Age of Grand Voyages... or Grand Openings?