How lucky we were this time as we returned to Huwei and discovered that there was an exhibition at Huwei Sugar Factory. I had been waiting for almost 5 years to see at least part of the factory from the inside. Unfortunately, it wasn't an actual factory visit, but rather a visit to two of their warehouses. The exhibition showcased the history of Huwei sugar factory and the sugar-making process, with plenty of old equipment on display. In the sugar factory area, there are two alcohol storages made of bricks, although access to them is prohibited. Visitors can view a slideshow of old pictures taken on the sugar factory railroad and watch a video depicting the sugar-making process, from harvesting sugar canes to the final production of sugar. Nearby the sugar factory, you can also see several Japanese-style wooden buildings that were once used to house workers.
Huwei Old Station (虎尾驛)
The Huwei Old Station, formerly known as Wujiancuo Station, was originally a station for the Sugar Factory passenger line and narrow-gauge railway. It played a significant role in transportation during earlier times. The station also offered a bus service to bring passengers to the station, making it the busiest area in Huwei during the Japanese occupation. In 1955, the station was relocated, and the old station was repurposed as offices for the Second Special Police Company. In 1986, the refinery took it back and used it as offices for the Huwei Raw Materials Section. The building underwent renovation, which was completed in 2009.
During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1904, after the completion of the vertical line from Tainan Station to the southern section of Douliu Station, Huwei rapidly developed into a new town. According to existing historical data, Huwei Station was established in the same year as Huwei Sugar Factory. It was named "Wujiancuo Station" as it was located in the Wujiancuo tribe of Huwei.
In front of Huwei Station, on the right side, was the original club distribution office established by Dainippon Sugar Co., Ltd., which served as the consumption center of Huwei in the early days.
In terms of sugar transportation, the sugar production period of Huwei Sugar Factory is from December to March of the following year, during which sugar cane is transported. In 1945, Taiwan Sugar Company restored the second factory and alcohol factory, which had been destroyed during World War II. After renovating the first factory in 1952, international sugar prices soared, resulting in a peak in sugar transportation during the 1950s and 1960s.
Sugar from Huwei Sugar Factory had to be sent to Xinying Sugar Factory, which was the farthest destination among the sugar factories destined for Xinying. To avoid traffic congestion with other factories, the molasses truck would leave at 6 in the morning, and it would take about four hours to drive to Xinying. There were two types of locomotives used: the Dema brand B type and the Xizhou brand. There were also two types of transport carriages: 15 tons and 10 tons.
The grand occasion of sugar transportation continued until 1969. Yunlin County successfully developed groundwater resources, and the sugarcane fields were converted to rice paddies. Additionally, international sugar prices sharply declined, making operations increasingly difficult. In 1999, Taiwan Sugar Corporation decided that road transportation would be the main method for collecting sugarcane during the sugar production period.
See also: Huwei Sugar Factory
Passenger and Cargo Business
In the early days, Huwei Station served as an external traffic line in the passenger transportation industry. In 1907, Dainippon Sugar Co., Ltd. used Huwei Station for non-own freight transportation. Since there was no Taiwan Railway Station in Huwei, locals used to take the Taiwan Sugar Train from Huwei Station to Dounan Station and then transfer to the Longitudinal Line.
After the North-South Longitudinal Line opened to traffic in 1908, the Railway Department of the Taiwan Governor's Office Transportation Bureau collaborated with Dainippon Sugar Co., Ltd. to operate passenger and freight services between Dounan Station and Huwei Station. A 1067mm wide gauge was added next to the rails, allowing freight trains running on the Taiwan Railway to enter Huwei Station. Due to the labor-intensive nature of the transportation industry, farmers from neighboring Huwei, as well as laborers from other counties and cities, flocked to work as porters here. Some even brought their families and settled on Zhongshan Road. With the development of the transportation industry, Nippon Express Co., Ltd. and Nitto Merchant Shipping Co., Ltd. were attracted to Huwei to establish businesses. Zhongshan Road became a commercial center for sugar factory employees, and Huwei Street formed, with the administrative center of Huwei County Office, Huwei County Governor's Residence, and Huwei Contract Office located at the north end of Zhongshan Road. Until the end of the Japanese occupation, the southern section of Zhongshan Road, from Huwei Sugar Farm Warehouse to Huwei Station, was the liveliest market among the three counties of Douliu, Huwei, and Beigang.
According to Liu Chun, who started serving passenger transport in 1937, during the early days of World War II, the Beigang Line was the most prosperous line of the Taiwan Sugar Railway, with 24 round trips a day. The shifts ended at 11:30 in the evening, especially during the Beigang Mazu Temple events. On August 17, 1982, the Beigang Line ceased operation, and Huwei Station became a part of history.
The restoration of the original Huwei Station began on March 18, 2009, under the supervision of County Magistrate Su Zhifen. The renovation was completed on October 31 of the same year, at a cost of NT$8 million. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Deputy County Magistrate Lin Yuanquan and the leader of the Cultural Construction Association, Xu Youwen.
On December 11, 2010, the Cultural Office of Yunlin County brought an old locomotive to the station to enhance the tourism experience at Huwei Station. Cheng Kongzhao, who worked at Huwei Sugar Factory in 1945 and retired as a small train driver, became involved in cleaning up the station's surroundings, maintaining the locomotive, serving as a tour guide, and helping tourists send postcards from Huwei Station.
Today, Huwei Station serves as a tourist center. Visitors can also enjoy sugarcane-flavored handmade egg rolls made by Wang Minghui, a native of Yuanchang Township. He Yiming, a well-known painter of railway-related scenes, used to come to the station to paint railways and locomotives.
Taiwan's sugar industry dates back to the Dutch rule in the seventeenth century. Initially, human and animal power was used in the production of cane sugar. For over 200 years, it took on the appearance of traditional small-scale farmers in the sugar industry. It wasn't until 1902, during the Japanese government's rule, that new sugar-making technology was introduced, replacing animal power with machinery and significantly improving efficiency. Coupled with the incentive sugar-making policy of the Governor's Office, the modern-style sugar factory quickly became the dominant force, positioning Taiwan as an important sugar producer worldwide.
By 1935, there were 42 sugar factories in Taiwan, and Taiwan Sugar Corporation oversaw 49 sugar factories, along with research institutes such as the Sugar Industry Laboratory and the Cane Seedling Improvement Institute, as well as alcohol factories and bagasse board factories. The sugar industry, based on sugar cane, established a vast industrial network, inheriting the achievements of the modern Japanese industrial revolution and introducing various modern technologies for development in Taiwan. After World War II, the national government reorganized the sugar industry, and granulated sugar became an economic pillar of Taiwan, supporting other industries and laying the foundation for Taiwan's future economic growth.
Over the past 50 years, Taiwan Sugar Corporation has transformed from a traditional agricultural processing industry focused on simple sugar production and sales into a diversified business encompassing agriculture, industry, commerce, and services. Today, it operates with a core focus on circular economy, developing new agriculture, modern pig farming, cultural tourism and recreation, green energy, resource recycling (marsh gas energy and biomass material), and cultural and creative activities related to the sugar industry.
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