Citilens Studio

▶ A new creative landmark in Hsinchu Old City, Citilens Studio is located at No. 28, Chang'an Street, Hsinchu City, housed within an old building. This space embodies the team's deep commitment to the revitalization of old houses, cultural heritage, and old town district issues since its inception, giving new life to these historical structures through practical actions of repair and activation. Chang'an Street, formerly known as "Houchelu" (Back Cart Road), was also called "Herbal Lane" (Qingcao Lane) due to its proximity to Chenghuang Temple and the gathering of many herbal vendors. During the Japanese colonial period, it witnessed the opening of Hsinchu's first theater, "Hsinchu-za," followed by the appearance of three other theaters—New World, New Stage, and Central Theater—leading Chang'an Street to be once known as "Movie Street." Drawing inspiration from the imagery of herbs and theaters, in June 2023, Citilens Studio's space brand, "Citilens Herbal Theater" (Jianyu Qingcao Zuo), officially opened, becoming a diverse creative space focusing on urban issues, local revitalization, and arts and culture. It regularly hosts lectures, experiential courses, and exhibitions, injecting more cultural and educational possibilities into the city. ▶ Experience city stories in diverse ways. Here, in addition to visiting permanent exhibitions, visitors can delve into the rich content translated by the team from their self-published Hsinchu local magazine, "Gongwan Soup" (Meatball Soup). For example, an exhibition themed on Chang'an Street's entertainment culture transports visitors back in time, tracing the cultural memories of this street. Every issue of "Gongwan Soup" awaits visitors to browse. Whether traversing the historical sites of Hsinchu Old City, exploring the life of a meatball, or strolling through Hsinchu's mountains and forests, these texts and images can open a paper-based urban journey. If you wish to take a piece of Hsinchu's memories home, Citilens Studio has also developed a series of urban merchandise, designing ancient maps of Hsinchu and local specialties like mullet roe, rice vermicelli, and dried persimmons into exquisite postcards and badges. These products are not only suitable as souvenirs but also allow Hsinchu's culture to accompany you every day. ▶ Using Hsinchu as a coordinate, launching cross-domain innovative actions. Citilens is a cross-disciplinary regional cultural brand. We believe that by recognizing the diverse facets of local culture, there is potential for local innovation. Founded in 2014, Citilens has gradually grown, extending its service area beyond the Greater Hsinchu region, continually translating local stories through diverse media, reshaping the relationship between people and people, and people and places, to co-create a future of cultural sustainability.