Tiezhi Road Park Introduction
Tiezhi Road Park in Puzi City, Chiayi County, is a linear park planned by the Chiayi County Government and Puzi City, with a total length of 1,250 meters. Some sections of this road were originally a garbage dump during the Japanese colonial period. In 1911, it was developed into a railway that transported sugarcane and people, starting from the garlic factory. When the Taiwan Sugar Corporation's railway was fully operational, it transported goods, coastal catches, and agricultural products from the Chianan Plain into Chiayi City, significantly impacting various aspects of Taiwan's agriculture and industry at the time, making it a crucial contributor to Taiwan's economic rise. It wasn't until the early 1960s that the passenger and freight routes were reduced, with the small train terminating in Puzi. After that, the section west of Puzi Railway Station to Gangqian Road was only used for transporting sugarcane. It wasn't until March 1999 that the small train finally became part of history, and subsequently, it was dismantled by the garlic factory and withdrawn gracefully. After the railway was removed, it not only lost its tracks and sleepers but also its utility, leading to neglect and abandonment. It became an area where locals randomly cultivated vegetables or disposed of garbage and abandoned furniture, resulting in severe environmental pollution. It wasn't until the renovation project by Chiayi County that it transformed into the beautiful and appealing "Puzi Tiezhi Road Park." This lovely park has undergone comprehensive greening reforms along its length, with tree plantings over a kilometer-long linear park, as well as the addition of gardens, pedestrian paths, benches, and night lighting, officially completed in September 2004. The beautified Tiezhi Road Park not only provides the citizens of Puzi with nostalgic memories of chasing the small train while harvesting sugarcane but has also become an important recreational area and tourist attraction in the community.
