At one time in the past, the Taipei railway network was a central part of the city's economic activities, with a complex of lines crossing the city. The lines brought in the materials needed in three flourishing industries key to local prosperity: sugar refining, tobacco-product manufacturing, and the making of alcoholic products. Though this era is no more, and the lines have slowly disappeared, this hundred year-old culture lives on in many other forms.
Glory Days – The Sugar Railway, Sugar Industry, and Garment Industry
In Taipei's early years, sugar refining was a key element in Wanhua's fortunes. Take a stroll from Wanhua Station (萬華車站) and you will see many century-old works of architecture. Notable are the "Chin Yi Ho Hang" (金義合行) building and "Wanhua Lin's House" (萬華林宅), the latter Wanhua's tallest building in that era. Both are reminders of bustling street scenes and the district's commercial heyday.
From the end of the Qing dynasty, the thoroughfare that is today's Bangka Boulevard (艋舺大道) was lined with small, privately-owned sugar mills. It seemed each family had an ox turning a grindstone, pressing sugarcane to extract juice for processing cane sugar. During the Japanese era, these operations were systematically acquired by north Taiwan's first modern-style refinery, the Taipei Sugar Factory (臺北製糖所), which was later taken over by the Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台灣糖業股份有限公司) and used as a warehouse. However, through this period the area's chemical processing and apparel industries continued to flourish.
Built in 1909, the Taipei Sugar Factory, now an official city heritage site, has been fixed up and stands in the green Sugar Industry Cultural Park (糖廍文化園區). There are three warehouses on the site, all fronted with red brick, each featuring arches, trapezoidal columns, and wide-span structures. They are now used for displays of Taiwan sugar-industry culture and of the costumes, props, and scenery used by the Ming Hwa Yuan Arts & Cultural Group (明華園戲劇團), and also for the troupe's rehearsals. Next to the warehouses are an old mini-train platform, a locomotive, and a short section of railway. A small plot of sugarcane has been planted at the side of the park, helping visitors imagine the bustling days when trains bursting with cane destined for processing would pull up here.
From the park, walk to Dali Street (大理街), the birthplace of Taiwan's ready-to-wear garment industry. The trade flourished in this area because of its proximity to Wanhua Station. This was Taiwan's first wholesale market for ready-to-wear apparel, and many manufacturing firms set up operations here – over 2,000 at its height. After the railway was moved underground, west-coast express trains no longer stopped at the Wanhua Station, and the wholesale enterprises began a slow shift to the Wufenpu (五分埔) area near Songshan Station (松山車站). Dali Street has been re-invented as a fashion district, in the hope of creating a new fashion mecca and bringing back the good old days – with new clothing, of course.
The Tobacco Railway and "Kingdom of Tobacco" History
Tobacco cultivation in Taiwan began during the Japanese era. By the 1960s, volume and value were such that the island was being called the "Kingdom of Tobacco." Taipei's center for cigarette production was the Songshan Tobacco Factory (松山菸廠). After the Japanese started the war in the Pacific, in addition to its own market, Taiwan became responsible for central and south China as well as Southeast Asia. Supply could not keep up with demand.
On a visit to the various spots of sightseeing interest along the "tobacco railway," start at the Songshan Tobacco Factory heritage complex, which has the Taipei Railway Workshop on its east. Enter the complex via Lane 553, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road (忠孝東路) and you'll soon see a pond surrounded by trees. Crossing over the pond by the wooden bridge here brings you to the old factory buildings. The Baroque-style architecture and garden courtyard give this place an exotic, foreign character.
Among the heritage buildings are the cigarette factory, boiler house, and warehouses numbered 1 through 5. At the top of the warehouses the conveyor used for moving products is still in good shape. Moving around the buildings, it's easy to imagine the former laborers hard at work making and packaging countless cigarettes. Head closer to Civic Boulevard and you can see the factory's railway platform and a section of re-laid sleepers and track.
The 8 hectares of the complex that remain today have been transformed into an arts-and-culture space, attracting many tourists. Eslite Bookstore (誠品書店) has established a base in the Taipei New Horizon (臺北文創) building, opened last year. The complex, now officially called the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (松山文創園區), offers an enticing mix of old and modern, quiet and boisterous, preserving memories of the past while creating new memories for new generations.
The Alcohol Railway – A Taste of the Spirit Industry's Heyday
The highlight of the sightseeing spots along the "alcohol railway" is what is today called Huashan 1914 Creative Park. This expansive site encompasses the former Taipei Winery (台北酒廠), Jianguo Brewery (建國啤酒廠), and Huashan Station. The original core of the Huashan 1914 Creative Park was the old Taipei Winery, opened (as the current formal name implies) in 1914, which produced a wide range of products, most importantly rice wine, fuel alcohol, and various fruit wines.
Upon entering the grounds you are greeted with a large cluster of heritage buildings. Among the most prominent are those in the tower area, three stories high, with a brick-and-mortar frame, where sake and other rice-based wines were made. The Plum Wine Factory (烏梅酒廠), originally an aging storehouse, and the 50-meter-high boiler chimney, are two other manifestations of the high technical standards utilized in Taiwan's industrial buildings in that era. The other factory buildings in the complex, which date to the 1930s, are also fine examples of superior construction technique. The buildings are now frequently used for cross-boundary arts and culture events that also span time and space.
Nearby Taipei Brewery (台北啤酒工場) was built in Japanese era, it was Taiwan's only beer factory during that period of time. It was originally called the Takasago Brewery (高砂麥酒株式會社), then renamed the Jianguo Brewery. This special place is a living monument, still in operation. An official city heritage site, there are many heritage structures in the complex, including a brewing building, storage facility, and packaging plant. There are also traditional-style open fermentation vessels, early aluminum barrels, and four German-made copper mashing kettles – out of only 10 of their kind left in the world.
Explore Taipei's old railway routes, inspecting the historic architecture along the way, and you'll dip into the flourishing industrial culture of days gone by and gain a deeper understanding of the city's development. You'll find the city of Taipei's cultural landscape is one filled with interest.
Information
Wanhua Station 萬華車站
Add: 382, Kangding St. (康定路382號)
Tel: (02)2302-0481
Sugar Industry Cultural Park 糖廍文化園區
Add: 132-10, Dali St. (大理街132之10號)
Tel: (02)2306-7975
Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
松山文創園區
Add: 133, Guangfu S. Rd. (光復南路133號)
Tel: (02)2765-1388
Huashan 1914 Creative Park
華山1914文化創意產業園區
Add: 1, Sec. 1, Bade Rd. (八德路1段1號)
Tel: (02)2358-1914, ext. 200, 201
Taipei Brewery 台北啤酒工場
Add: 85, Sec. 2, Bade Rd. (八德路2段85號)
Tel: (02)2771-9131
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