Beimen Tiakau Tower Introduction
The Beimen Bromine Tower was part of a wartime munitions manufacturing facility where bromine, an important chemical raw material, was produced. Bromine was widely used in applications such as flame retardants, fire extinguishers, refrigerants, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. During the war, the Japanese colonial empire extracted bromine from concentrated seawater or brine due to the need for explosives in aviation fuel. As the production materials came from brine produced in salt fields, such manufacturing facilities were typically located near salt production sites. In 1939, three companies—Nippon Soda Co., Taiwan Salt Company, and Taiwan Colonial Development Company—founded the "South Japan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd." in Kaohsiung City and established the Anping Factory in Anping, Tainan City, along with branch factories in Budai and Beimen, among other locations. The Beimen Bromine Tower is one of these sites. It is constructed mainly of cement, wood, and brick with a corrugated iron cover. After the war, the iron and wood were removed by locals, leaving behind the "three-in-one, plus one" red brick tower that can still be seen today. According to local elders, the brine source came from the Beimen Zhongzhou and Jingzijiao areas (the Beimen salt fields at the time included five areas: Keliou, Wang-ye Port, Jingzijiao, Beimen, and Zhongzhou). Brine was transported through bamboo pipes made from square-bamboo (Moso bamboo) to manufacture bromine. The Beimen Bromine Tower, located next to Taiwan Route 17, covers an area of about a dozen ping. Although its appearance has gradually deteriorated from afar, it still bears witness to the significant historical role it played.
