Bailengzhun Memorial Park Introduction
Baileng Canal was established in the 3rd year of the Showa era (1928), originally designed for irrigating the sugarcane seedling breeding farm of the Daan Village (Daan Zhuang) under the governance of the Governor-General of Taiwan. After the retrocession, it was transformed into a seedling station under the Agricultural and Forestry Department. The Japanese government had the idea of irrigation facilities starting in the 2nd year of the Showa era (1927) and obtained approval from the council to spend over 1.45 million yen. Construction began in December of the 3rd year of the Showa era (1928) and was completed in May of the 7th year (1932), taking 3 years and 6 months in total, with a construction cost of 1.04 million yen. A water test was completed in September, and a water-inauguration ceremony was held on October 14. During the ceremony, Mr. Shikata Shiken, the Director of the Agricultural Bureau of the Governor-General of Taiwan, named the canal "Baileng Canal." The canal is 16.5 kilometers long, with the entirety of the canal located on the hillside, featuring 22 tunnels, 14 aqueducts, and three inverted siphons. One of the inverted siphons is 346 meters long and has a diameter of 1.2 meters, crossing a valley, making it a massive hydraulic engineering project. After the 921 earthquake, the canal was damaged, and the irrigation association built new water pipes beside it (in blue), resulting in a juxtaposition of old and new. The inverted siphon pipe is named for being an inverted arc, and its design is fundamentally opposite to that of a traditional siphon. The inverted siphon pipe is designed based on the principle of connected pipes, painted green and made of steel, extending along the hillside. The engineering challenges are beyond description, and the beautiful and majestic No. 2 inverted siphon pipe is the largest of its kind in the Far East. In the 90th year of the Republic of China (2001), it was selected as the 26th in the national hundred scenic spots.
