Checheng Wood Industries Museum Introduction
Checheng thrived during the Japanese colonial period due to the transportation and trading of sugar, camphor, and timber, as well as the influx of manpower and resources brought in by the Japanese for the Sun Moon Lake hydropower project. In 1958, Mr. Sun Hai, chairman of the major forestry enterprise Zhenchang Industry, acquired the logging rights in the Danda forestry area of Nantou, taking advantage of its convenient transportation. He settled in Checheng to establish a factory for wood production and both domestic and foreign sales, reaching a peak with over 2,000 employed workers, which led to a renaissance for Checheng, earning it the nickname "Little Taipei" together with the nearby Wulai area. After the 1970s, forestry policies shifted focus to reforestation and land conservation, and the sawmill industry for domestic and foreign markets faced difficulties under the government's logging ban, with many companies either shutting down or undergoing transformation. Zhenchang Industry, which relied heavily on the export of logs, found the sawmill no longer viable and the facility was abandoned. To enhance tourism in the Checheng area and help visitors understand the past development of the timber industry, the old factory, which was considered a precious industrial relic, was reconstructed into the Checheng Wood Industry Exhibition Hall. The exhibition hall, opened in June 2008, allows visitors to learn about the former glory of Taiwan's timber industry. Notably, the wooden framework of the old factory is a product from the early 20th century and was considered quite advanced in the 1950s. Therefore, in the reconstruction of the Wood Industry Exhibition Hall, the design philosophy of "overlapping new and old" was adopted, preserving the old framework by restoring it as an exhibit in the Creative Wood Hall, while adding a new wooden structure to the old framework, creating an interesting interplay of new and old wooden constructions in the same space. The intricate supports give the area a sense of change and unique aesthetic appeal, showcasing historical evolution and progress. At the exhibition hall, visitors can not only tour the restored factory, reliving the scenes of the sawmill from the 1950s, but also explore various wood displays. Upon entering the exhibition area, the unique aromas of different types of wood fill the air, as if stepping into a forest to enjoy an immersion in phytoncides; a visit to the Wood Industry Exhibition Hall provides greater insight into the development of Taiwan's forestry.
