Travel Date: 2022/02/27
Chiayi is home to numerous remnants from the Japanese Occupation, particularly those associated with Alishan. The Alishan Forest Farm, which ceased logging operations in 1963, has left behind a wealth of forestry cultural assets in Chiayi City, including Beimen Station, the Forestry Club, the Forestry Dormitory, and the Chiayi Timber Factory.
The Timber Factory Park offers a glimpse into the logging period and provides insights into the Alishan Railway. At the Alishan Railway Garage, visitors can explore a collection of old trains used during the logging era and even take a tourist train ride (similar to those found in sugar factories). For those looking to travel to Alishan by train, Beimen Station is still operational. A train ticket to Alishan costs approximately 450NT.
Nearby, Hinoki Village showcases nearly 30 Japanese-style houses, while the Chiayi Old Prison, also built by the Japanese, offers a unique historical experience. These attractions are within walking distance of each other, with a distance of around 2.5km. We parked in front of Chiayi Prison and strolled through Hinoki Village, Alishan Railway Garage, Timber Factory Park, Beimen Station, and finally returned to our parking spot.
Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park (阿里山森林鐵路車庫園區)
Located on the north side of Linsen West Road, Chiayi City, the Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park serves as the base camp for Alishan Small Trains. The park features a variety of locomotives, plant equipment, an engine garage, a repair factory, a parking lot, and carriages. Visitors can observe equipment such as washing yards, cypress carriages, and dining cars from the early years. The park is home to several decommissioned steam trains, diesel locomotives, powered passenger cars, passenger and freight cars, and a circular turntable for changing locomotive directions.
The Alishan Forestry Railway, still in operation, is an alpine forestry railway system and a significant cultural landscape in Taiwan. While the majority of its routes are located in Chiayi City and Chiayi County, some sections of the Zhushan Line are found in Xinyi Township, Nantou County. Initially built during the Japanese occupation to transport trees from the Alishan Forest Farm, the railway shifted its focus to passenger transport and sightseeing after logging operations ceased. The main line stretches from Chiayi Station to Alishan Station, with the Shenmu Line, Numaping Line, and Zhushan Line open for passenger traffic.
Though the terminal Alishan Station was destroyed by the 921 earthquake, it was reconstructed and reopened on September 13, 2007. The Mianyue Line suffered severe damage from the same earthquake, and subsequent repairs were washed away by the August 8 flood in 2009. After multiple restoration efforts, the trial operation of the entire line was successfully resumed in September 2015. However, Typhoon Dujuan on September 28 of the same year caused a 55-meter collapse and damaged the No. 42 tunnel, rendering travel between Shijilu Station and Pingzana Station impossible. The new tunnel, approximately 1,104 meters long, passed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on August 28, 2019, and is expected to open for traffic in 2023.
Chiayi Timber Factory Park (嘉義製材所園區-第二代製材工場)
Completed and opened in 1914, the Chiayi Timber Factory Park was the largest government-run timber industrial park under the Japanese occupation. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and technologies from Europe and the United States, it served as a storage and processing facility for timber harvested from Alishan Mountain. Although logging ceased in 1963, many historical buildings and relics remain preserved. In 1991, the lumber workshop, office, power room, sawdust room, and drying room were designated as "Historic Buildings of Bamboo Handicraft Processing Factory" by the Chiayi City Government.
The second-generation lumber workshop in the Machine Tool Factory features areas for transportation, lumber processing, piling, and sawdust concentration. Its underground power system and lumber making machine base represent the most advanced automatic lumber making equipment of the time.
The Power Room, the first reinforced concrete building in Chiayi, served as a thermal power plant. It supplied power to the factory and housed British-made steam boilers, American-made generators, and other equipment. In 2009, it was renovated into a woodcarving exhibition hall, showcasing 47 pieces of red cypress artwork.
The Hand-Knitting Factory, established in 1965 as a labor education center and later transformed into a bamboo handicraft processing factory in 1969, represents another notable structure within the park.
Beimen Station (北門車站)
Beimen Station is a railway station on the Alishan Line. The original station building, completed and opened in 1912, had its travel operations relocated to the new station in 1973. In 1998, the old station was designated as a historic monument in Chiayi City. While the Alishan Railway shifted its focus to tourist passenger transportation following the cessation of forest resource exploitation, Beimen Station remains divided into two parts: the new station on the north side of the railway and the old station on the south side. The new station handles passenger transportation, while the old station serves as a memorial hall and tourist attraction. Despite its proximity to the starting point, Beimen Station is situated in the plains of Chiayi City, only 31 meters above sea level. In 2001, a landscape improvement project was completed near the old Beimen Station, transforming the road in front of the entrance into a pedestrian area for sightseeing. On July 1, 2007, at 9:07 am, the last train departed from Beimen New Station, and the station building was relocated to the old Beimen Station to continue operations.
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