Chiayi Lumber Factory Introduction
Chiayi Lumber Mill will be closed for improvements starting December 30, 2024. The construction is expected to take about 15 months, and the actual reopening date will be announced later. We apologize for the inconvenience. The Chiayi Lumber Mill, built during the Japanese colonial period in 1914, was the largest government-run timber industry park managed by the Japanese government. It was responsible for storing timber felled in Alishan and processing it into lumber, boasting the largest production volume in the East at that time. The space planning within the mill includes a powerhouse, sawdust room, offices, workshop, drying room, and handcraft workshop. Notably, the powerhouse on the left side of the entrance was the first steel-reinforced concrete structure in Chiayi and also the earliest thermal power plant in the city. A century ago, Chiayi was renowned for its mechanized timber industry, which relied heavily on electrical power, a rare resource in Taiwan at the time; Chiayi City had the privately-owned "Chiayi Electric Light Company" established in 1911, which used gas engines to supply electricity for streetlights and some households. However, the lumber mill's processes, including saws and portable steel cable cranes, required even more power, necessitating self-generated electricity and the creation of the powerhouse. Adjacent to the workshop, the powerhouse reflects the historical transformation of the space and helps understand the rise and fall of the forestry industry over the past century. The first generation of the lumber factory began operations in 1914, featuring parts of a three-story building and other two-story reinforced concrete structures, equipped with the most advanced machinery imported from the United States, showcasing the grandeur and high efficiency of the factory. At the time, it attracted visits from the Japanese imperial family and people from various fields, enjoying a brief period of glory, but the factory was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1941. The second generation of the lumber factory was built after the earthquake, featuring a large-span wooden structure entirely made of Alishan cypress, which is quite unique. With changing government forestry policies and rising conservation awareness, logging in the Alishan Forest ended. Chiayi's timber industry once propelled the city to become the national center for timber production and sales, earning the title of "Wood City." Although its glory has faded, the factory's structure remains intact, possessing cultural heritage value. The Chiayi Forest District Office plans to create an "Alishan Forestry Village," connecting various attractions such as the Cypress Life Village, Chiayi Garage Park, the lumber mill, and the Song of the Forest, to promote local historical and cultural tourism and the development of the timber culture tourism industry.
