Pingtung Tobacco Plant 1936 Cultural Base Introduction
In the winter of 2021, the Tobacco Factory, which once witnessed the glorious history of the Pingtung industry, was reborn as the "Pingtung Tobacco Cultural Base" with a new identity, carrying the local memories and transforming into a historically significant new landmark. Originally established in 1936 as the "Pingtung Branch Tobacco Re-Drying Factory," the cultural base served as a center for agricultural technical guidance, purchasing, and processing storage of the Pingtung tobacco area since the Japanese colonial period. After the Nationalist government arrived in Taiwan in 1949, it was renamed the "Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Alcohol Monopoly Bureau Pingtung Tobacco Factory," with the tobacco area under its responsibility continually expanding, surpassing not only Chiayi and Hualien but also outpacing Taichung in growth. In 1953, the Pingtung Tobacco Factory was officially merged to establish a rolling tobacco department, and it was renamed "Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Alcohol Monopoly Bureau Pingtung Tobacco Factory." In December 1965, the rolling tobacco department was abolished, and the factory returned to focusing primarily on tobacco leaf drying and processing. Over the years, as business demands increased, the factory area expanded to approximately 4.2 hectares, marking an era when Pingtung led Taiwan in rice, sugarcane, and tobacco production. However, due to the abolition of the monopoly system, anti-smoking policies, and competition from foreign tobacco products, domestic tobacco production gradually decreased, and the Pingtung Tobacco Factory ceased operations in October 2002, with administrative operations transferred to the Neipu Tobacco Factory. In the 20 years after its closure, the Pingtung County Government conducted an in-depth review of the factory's historical development, architectural space utilization, and cultural asset value. In 2010, the county government registered the de-stemming processing area, re-drying processing area, boiler room, and Zhongshan Hall as historical buildings for restoration and reuse. To preserve the significance of the industrial heritage, in 2017, the entire factory area was expanded to be registered as a historical building. With consensus among the government, scholars from various fields, and the public, the "Pingtung County Grand Museum Project" was born, using the iconic tobacco factory of Pingtung's industrial history as a cultural incubator. Through strategies such as "telling Pingtung's story through industry," "depicting Pingtung's soul through art," and "allowing children to create Pingtung's future," plans were developed to establish the "Pingtung Tobacco Museum," "Pingtung Hakka Museum," "Pingtung Indigenous Museum," "Immersive Experience Center," "Pingtung County Art Museum," and "Pingtung County Collection Storage," among others. Utilizing the expertise of the museum, local knowledge will be preserved and promoted, serving as a platform for resource integration and collaboration in arts and culture, with a dynamic, open, and sustainable spirit, allowing residents to jointly inherit, interpret, perform, and create the cultural charm of Pingtung. The "Pingtung Tobacco Cultural Base" is expected to open in phases, with the first phase including the Tobacco Museum, Hakka Museum, Immersive Experience Center, special exhibition space, and commercial space. In the future, through diverse exhibitions and activities, the aim is to create a branded Pingtung County Museum, thereby establishing local cultural confidence, deepening the relationship between residents and the land, and becoming a cultural vanguard and support for Pingtung County’s residents to live and work in peace, standing tall in the world.
