I remember these broken glass-topped walls used to be everywhere in Taiwan. When I visited Tai Da, my co-worker told me that the girls’ dorm is nearby. Apparently he used to spend a lot of time in this area admiring the (and here he paused) squirrels.
When I was planning on coming to Taiwan, my father tried dissuading me by painting the country as lawless and dangerous. Times certainly have changed. I haven’t seen too many walls with broken glass on top anymore.
Glass on tops of the walls did not appear until after the Japanese left Taiwan in and around 1945. Many of the KMT used this as a tactic to keep thieves away on the mainland. Every time I see this, I think of just another one of the many things and traditions the KMT brough to TW.
Thanks for the tip meiguo-conjun-feijiren! I didn’t realize it was something the KMT brought to Taiwan, though I did guess it began during KMT rule. My aunt said that when the Japanese had the island as a colony, it was so safe, they never locked their doors.