From sweeping landscapes to intricate buildings, Taiwan is an island nation that many tourists frequent. That's why it can seem odd that one of their most famous landmarks are two humble mailboxes. Located in the Zhongshan District in the city of Taipei, these unique mailboxes have captured the public's imagination thanks to their appearance. Unlike most mailboxes, these two, known as “Little Red” (or “Xiao Hong” ) and “Little Green” ( “Xiao Lu”) are severely bent. But beyond it's cute-looking tilt, they also tell a much deeper story.
Due to its location, Taiwan is prone to typhoons, as it is usually hit by three or four cyclones a year. In 2015, a particularly bad one known as Typhoon Soudelor struck the island. During the storm, a billboard got loose due to the heavy winds and hit the mailboxes. While it bent their posts, it didn't tear them down.
After the storm was over, citizens of Taipei came across the newly leaning mailboxes and fell in love with them. Not only did they look adorable, but they were also a symbol of resilience and survival. The new attraction seemed to say, “You can strike us, but we'll stay on our feet with a smile on our face.”
Social media quickly caught wind of these new landmarks and people began visiting them. It wasn’t long before they started staging fun photos with the new landmarks, using forced perspective—similar to the way tourists pose in Italy with the leaning tower of Pisa. This led authorities to embrace the symbolism of the mailboxes, and instead of repairing them, they added a plaque telling their story in Chinese, Japanese, and English.
According to SoraNews24, the plaque reads: “On August 8th, 2015, Typhoon Soudelor struck Taiwan. We were hit in the heads by a signboard as a result and couldn’t help but lean over from the pain. It was so painful in fact, we can’t stand up anymore. But we persevered: we didn’t fall over after all. We have to take life as it comes and in a way, I think we look more artsy and sophisticated this way! Did we inspire you? Take a picture with us to remind yourselves that we are all survivors and can persevere no matter what.”
The best part of this Taipei attraction is that the mailboxes are still operational. The letters deposited there are even marked with a special stamp that depicts the famous Taiwanese tilted mailboxes. If you want to visit them, they are located near the intersection of Nanjing East Road and Longjiang Road.
After a typhoon left two mailboxes in Taiwan severely tilted, residents decided to keep them that way as a symbol of resilience and survival.
Regular mailboxes in Taiwan look like this:
That's why people have fallen in love with the cute appearance of the bent mailboxes. Instead of repairing them, authorities chose to install a plaque telling their story.
The tilted mailboxes have become a sensation, attracting tourists and locals alike.
h/t: [SoraNews24]
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