Pingtung Tobacco Factory (Ping Yan 1936 Cultural Base) Introduction
In the winter of 2021, the tobacco leaf factory that once witnessed the glorious industrial history of Pingtung was reborn as the "Pingtung Tobacco Cultural Base 1936," embracing local memories and transforming into a new landmark of historical significance. Established in 1936, the predecessor of the Pingtung Tobacco Cultural Base was originally named the "Pingtung Branch Leaf Tobacco Re-Drying Facility." Since the Japanese colonial period, it had been responsible for providing agricultural technical guidance, procurement, and processing storage for the Pingtung tobacco region. After the Nationalist government came to Taiwan in 1949, it was renamed the "Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Alcohol Monopoly Bureau Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Processing Plant." The area of tobacco cultivation under the factory’s responsibility continued to expand, surpassing that of Chiayi and Hualien regions, with growth even outpacing Taichung. In 1953, the Pingtung Tobacco Processing Plant was officially integrated and restructured to establish a cigarette department, renamed the "Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Alcohol Monopoly Bureau Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Factory." In December 1965, the cigarette department was disbanded, and the factory returned to focusing primarily on tobacco leaf drying and processing. As the factory expanded its buildings year by year to meet business needs, the entire area covered about 4.2 hectares, marking the period when Pingtung led Taiwan in rice, sugarcane, and tobacco cultivation. Later, due to the abolition of the monopoly system, anti-smoking policies, and the opening of competition for foreign tobacco products, domestic tobacco industry production gradually declined. In October 2002, the Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Factory ceased operations, and its administrative functions were transferred to the Neipu Tobacco Factory. Over the twenty years following its closure, the Pingtung County government conducted an in-depth review of the historical development, architectural space utilization, and cultural heritage value of the tobacco leaf factory. In 2010, the county government registered the decaying processing area, the re-scenting processing area, the boiler room, and the Zhongshan Hall as historical buildings for restoration and reuse. To fully preserve the significance of the industrial heritage, the entire factory area was expanded to be registered as historical buildings in 2017. With the consensus of the government, scholars from various fields, and the public, the "Pingtung County Grand Museum Project" was born. This plan uses the highly representative tobacco leaf factory in Pingtung’s industrial history as a cultural base, executing strategies that "tell the story of Pingtung through industry," "depict the soul of Pingtung through art," and "allow children to create the future of Pingtung." The project plans to establish various facilities including the "Pingtung Tobacco Hall," "Pingtung Hakka Hall," "Pingtung Indigenous Hall," "Immersive Experience Hall," "Pingtung County Art Museum," and "Pingtung County Collections Storage." Through the expertise of the museum, it aims to preserve and promote local knowledge, serve as a platform for integrating and collaborating cultural resources, and embody a dynamic, open, and sustainable spirit to jointly inherit, interpret, perform, and create the cultural charm of Pingtung with the local community. The "Pingtung Tobacco Cultural Base 1936" is expected to open in phases, with the first phase including the Tobacco Hall, Hakka Hall, Immersive Hall, special exhibition space, and commercial space. In the future, it will continue to create a branded Pingtung County Museum through diverse exhibitions and activities, thereby establishing local cultural confidence and deepening the relationship between residents and the land, becoming a cultural vanguard and support for a prosperous and globally positioned Pingtung County.
