Chiayi Creative Industry Park Introduction
One of the five major creative cultural parks in Taiwan, the Chiayi Old Distillery is located next to Chiayi Railway Station. It is known as the birthplace of sorghum liquor in Taiwan, earning Chiayi the nickname "Hometown of Baijiu." In 1916, the Japanese entrepreneur Akashi Shōtarō established the Taisho Distillery Co., Ltd. Chiayi Factory here. By 1922, due to the implementation of a monopoly system, the factory was requisitioned and placed under the Tainan Branch of the Monopoly Bureau. After the restoration of Taiwan, the National Government continued the monopoly system, and in 1957 it was renamed the "Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Liquor Public Sales Bureau Chiayi Branch Chiayi Distillery." In 1982, the Chiayi Distillery relocated to the Minxiong Industrial Zone, leaving behind a large number of production machinery and related equipment, including bottle washing machines, wine storage barrels, bottle conveyors, chimneys, sorghum storage silos, and weighing devices, all valuable witnesses to the culture of liquor production. Seven of the buildings have been designated as city historical sites, and the once 53-meter-high boiler chimney was an early landmark in Chiayi City. The Ministry of Culture has undertaken restoration projects, and in 2013, renovations were completed, transforming it into the Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park. Among the five major creative cultural parks in Taiwan, the Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park is the one with the most expectations. Located in the commercial and geographical heart of Chiayi City, this park is considered the starting point of the cultural facility belt in Chiayi City, connecting the Chiayi Tobacco and Liquor Public Sales Bureau (designated historical site) to the north with Chiayi Railway Station (designated historical site), Railway Warehouse Art Village, Cultural Center, Hinoki Village, Forestry Club (designated historical site), Alishan Entry Gateway Beimen Station (designated historical site), and the Museum of Prison Administration (national historical site), forming a shining cultural pearl of Chiayi, with the Chiayi Creative Cultural Industries Park being the largest and brightest among them.
