Checheng Wood Industry Museum Introduction
Checheng thrived during the Japanese colonial period due to the transportation trade of sugar, camphor, and timber, as well as the manpower and resources brought in for the construction of the Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric power project. In 1958, Mr. Sun Hai, chairman of the major forestry enterprise Chen Chang, won the logging rights in the Nantou Danda Forest District, taking advantage of the convenient transportation to purchase land and establish a factory in Checheng, engaging in wood production and both domestic and foreign sales. At its peak, more than 2,000 jobs were created, bringing a second wave of prosperity to Checheng, earning it the nickname "Little Taipei" along with the Wuli area. After the 1970s, forestry policy shifted its focus to reforesting and land conservation, and the sawmilling industry for domestic and foreign sales faced challenges under government logging bans, leading many to either shut down or transform. Chen Chang shifted to primarily exporting large quantities of raw timber, rendering the sawmill obsolete, and after ceasing operations, it was left to deteriorate. In order to enhance tourism and recreational resources in the Checheng area and to help visitors understand the past development of the timber industry, the former factory, which was regarded as a valuable industrial heritage site, was rebuilt into the Checheng Wood Industry Exhibition Hall. Opened in June 2008, the exhibition hall allows visitors to learn about the former glory of Taiwan's timber industry. Notably, the wooden frames of the old factory are products from the early 20th century and were considered advanced designs in the 1950s. Thus, in reconstructing the wood industry exhibition hall, a design concept of "overlapping old and new" was adopted, preserving the old frames as exhibits within the Creative Wood Industry Hall while adding new wooden frames to create an interesting overlap of old and new wooden structures in the same space. The intricate framework brings variation and a unique aesthetic sense to the space, allowing visitors to witness historical evolution and progress through the ages. At the exhibition hall, not only can one tour the renovated factory and revisit the sawmilling scenes of the 1950s, but there are also various wood displays; entering the exhibition area, visitors are greeted by the unique scents of different woods, as if stepping into a forest to enjoy a refreshing shower of phytoncides. A visit to the Wood Industry Exhibition Hall offers a deeper understanding of the development of Taiwan's forestry.
