Camphor Office Introduction
Camphor, along with sugar and tea, is known as one of the three treasures of Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty, and the initial prosperity of the Jiji market was closely related to the extraction of camphor. The term "shuzhang" originally means business trip in Japanese. During the Showa era under Japanese rule, the government implemented a camphor monopoly system and established a "Jiji Camphor Liaison Office" in 1898 (the 31st year of the Meiji era) to handle the extraction and sales of camphor within a designated area. At that time, camphor production primarily used the "nengzao" method, which involved distilling camphor trees with firewood, a process that took about 24 hours. After cooling, the camphor steam formed white solid camphor sands and camphor oil, which were then transported by porters to the liaison office for concentration, and subsequently sent to the main factory in Taipei via the Jiji Line for refinement into the final product. After the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan, the camphor industry declined, and the camphor liaison office lost its original function. It once served as staff quarters for the Forestry and Nature Conservation Bureau. With over a hundred years of history, it is the only remaining camphor liaison office in Taiwan and is a building of significant historical and cultural value. The camphor liaison office is divided into three parts: the office building on the right side, and the dormitory or halls on the left, both representing traditional wooden Japanese architecture. The symmetrical and simple main entrance features a porch known as "yubi," which is a pavilion-style entrance with a wooden roof supported by two columns. The main doors are double-opening, reflecting a sleek and minimalist architectural style, while the left-side dormitory embraces the traditional Japanese style. These buildings are interconnected, forming a Japanese architectural style that emphasizes the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, resulting in a simple, bright, and open spatial characteristic. Currently, the camphor liaison office is managed by the Jiji Township Office on behalf of the National Property Administration. The office plans to seek funding for the restoration of the park in phases and has designated the park as the "Jiji Cultural Industry Park." It regularly hosts various cultural activities and aims to attract artists to revitalize the park's essence and charm through culture and art.
