Chihsing Tan Historical Park (Bunker) Introduction
The Songbailing area is situated at a high altitude, where the National Army established numerous fortifications of varying sizes for wartime defense; however, most of these fortifications have been idle for many years. The local township office applied to the Ministry of National Defense for the repurposing of military air defense bunkers into tourism resources, allowing visitors to experience a different kind of leisure. In earlier days, the Ministry of National Defense built a total of 11 positions and command centers in the Songbailing area (including 27 bunkers and 3 buildings) to defend the strategic military point of Zhuoshui River. As these bunkers are no longer used for military purposes, they have become unique local landmarks scattered among tea plantations. To facilitate the transformation of the bunkers and align them with local tourism development, they have been redesigned and reconstructed into a distinctive group of bunkers. Shoutian Temple is the most important faith center in the area, as well as a key tourist resource in Songbailing. The main deity worshiped at Shoutian Temple is Xuantian Shangdi, the northern god. The Big Dipper and the North Star represent him, and the planned route includes seven points, whose distribution closely corresponds to the Big Dipper, echoing Shoutian Temple and integrating with significant local resources. Therefore, it has been named "Big Dipper Position Park." Each position has been reconfigured based on attributes such as yin and yang, the five elements, zodiac signs, and colors. Existing bunker buildings have been transformed using planting, paving, stone arrangements, carvings, and mosaics, and are painted to express the characteristics of each position. The seven bunkers adjacent to Shoutian Temple have been planned to become a new attraction in the tea garden. Since the deity worshipped at Shoutian Temple, Xuantian Shangdi, is the northern god, with the Big Dipper and the North Star symbolizing him, the bunkers have been designed to correspond with the Big Dipper, aligning with the "Five Elements" and "Seven Stars." The external appearance of the seven bunkers showcases colors such as white, green, yellow, black, red, gray, and purple to represent each position's characteristics. They are named: "Yaoguang," "Kaiyang," "Yuheng," "Tianquan," "Tianxuan," "Tianji," and "Tianxiu." Travel recommendations suggest that although the roads here are narrow, they are perfect for cycling. Visitors can ride along to experience the historical significance of the seven bunkers with different distinctive styles. The first bunker is marked by a bold "Big Dipper Position Park" sign, featuring a black-and-white camouflage design, with a full view inside that resembles stalactites. This design is said to minimize the impact of artillery vibrations on the interior of the bunker. The other bunkers have a similar appearance; however, their exterior landscape designs are markedly different, which is a major highlight for visitors to this area.
