Camphor Station Introduction
Camphor, along with sugar and tea, is known as the three treasures of Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty period, and the initial prosperity of the Jiji market was closely related to camphor extraction. "Chuzhang" originally meant a business trip in Japanese. During the Showa era of Japanese rule, the government implemented a camphor monopoly system and established the "Jiji Camphor Office" in 1898 (the 31st year of the Meiji era) for the extraction and sale of camphor within a designated area. At that time, camphor production mainly used the "naozao" method, where firewood was used to distill camphor trees, taking about 24 hours. After cooling, the camphor steam formed white solid camphor and camphor oil, which were transported by porters to the office for centralization, and then sent to the main factory in Taipei for refinement, resulting in the final product. After the National Government moved to Taiwan, the camphor industry declined, and the Camphor Office lost its original function. It was once used as a dormitory for Forestry and Natural Conservation Bureau employees. With a history of more than a hundred years, it is currently the only remaining Camphor Office in Taiwan, and it is a building of significant historical and cultural value. The Camphor Office building can be divided into three parts: the office on the right side and the dormitory or hall on the left, both are traditional wooden Japanese-style buildings. The symmetrical and simple main entrance features a porch known as "yubi," which is a pavilion-style entrance building with a wooden roof supported by two columns. The main gate is double-leaf, characterized by a clean and minimalist architectural style. The left side dormitory follows the Japanese style. These buildings are interconnected, forming a Japanese architectural style that emphasizes the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating a simple, bright, and open spatial feature. Currently, the Camphor Office is managed by the Jiji Township Office on behalf of the State-owned Property Administration. The office will continue to seek funding for the phased restoration of the park and has planned the area as the "Jiji Cultural and Industrial Park," regularly holding various cultural activities and inviting artists to reside, in order to revitalize the park's content and charm through culture and art.
