Dance ban in Taiwan before the 80s 

     According to the article from story studio [1], dancing was an illegal activity in Taiwan before the 80s, or to be more specific, before the government unenforced martial law. In the 60s and the 70s in Taiwan, people were only allowed to dance in the ballrooms and nightclubs in the hotels that were permitted by the government. But in fact, those ballrooms were originally established for foreigners, especially the American armies in Taiwan. Due to the Vietnam War, there were several American soldiers stationed in Taiwan, and thus Taiwan's government permitted the establishment of ballrooms and nightclubs since they could meet the foreigner's need for entertainment. Even though the Taiwanese could also dance in those ballrooms, the high expense kept the normal people from enjoying this activity, and thus the illegal discotheques started appearing in the corners of Taiwan.

Taiwan's Discotheques in the 80s

     In the early 80s, Taiwan's economics began to grow in a rapid way, so the need for entertainment of people became stronger. Moreover, people at that time were greatly attracted to the culture of disco. They not only watched the TV programs that showed disco dance but they also wear the clothes and accessories of disco style. As a result, more and more underground discotheques appeared in Taiwan, and the most famous one was called Diana discotheque. According to DJ Stephen [2], an ex-worker in Diana discotheque, in Diana, we could see a big dance floor and a DJ station. Also, there would also be dancers and gaffers in Diana. Unlike the nightclubs nowadays, which mainly open at night or even after midnight, Diana offered five time-sessions for people, from morning to midnight, and the prices depended on what sessions people selected. Also, nowadays, when we want to go to a nightclub, there might be security standing in front of the gate to make sure that the customers are over 18 years old. 

     On the other hand, the regulations in Diana were not that strict, and thus in the 80s, even the students could enjoy dancing in a discotheque as well. Since Diana was an illegal discotheque, after all, people had to be careful and not be caught by the police. However, despite the risk of being caught, the culture of disco was still a big hit at the moment. After Taiwan's government unenforced martial law, dancing was no longer illegal in Taiwan, and the first legal discotheque, Kiss Disco, was established. Since then, disco has become an essential part of Taiwan's culture.