Tamsui Cultural Park - Shell Warehouse Introduction
The area around Tamsui MRT Station was formerly known as "Bizi Head." After the opening of Tamsui port, Western-style buildings and trading houses flourished, including the five major trading houses: Baoshun, Dekei, Shui Lu, Heji, and Yiji, along with the Jiasan Trading Company. The Shell oil storage facility located at No. 22 Bi Tou Street was originally the warehouse of the British Jiasan Trading Company and is now used by the Tamsui Cultural Foundation and Tamsui Community College. In the first year of Tongzhi (1862), the Tamsui Customs officially opened, and Tamsui Port quickly became the largest port in northern Taiwan, accounting for over 60% of Taiwan's trade volume, with tea, coal, and camphor as major exports. The most famous structures include the residence of the British Baoshun Trading Company and the Shell oil tank warehouse. A century later, most trading houses and warehouses have disappeared, but the Shell warehouse remains due to ownership disputes. Under the protection of the Tamsui River scenic area, it has been designated as a historical monument, representing an important relic of Tamsui's golden era of trade. It is now a designated historic site in New Taipei City. The former British Jiasan Trading Company warehouse (Tamsui Shell Warehouse) has four large warehouses, three small buildings, and the oil tank ruins, covering an area of nearly 4,000 ping. It witnesses significant historical moments such as the opening of Tamsui port, Japanese rule over Taiwan, and the bombing of Taiwan by U.S. military during World War II. It is one of the few remaining trading house warehouses in northern Taiwan and one of the few industrial heritage sites in Taiwan.
