This particular plant lies across Taiwan’s beautiful and quiet mountainous region. Even though this lumber plant takes up so much space, it hasn’t been taken down yet. The most prominent part about this place was the massive warehouses hidden behind years and years of foliage! This was my fifth time visiting Taiwan, but it was my first time learning about this place.
台湾の美しく静かな山間部。そこに “終末木材興業”という巨大な工場の廃墟があります。巨大な規模を持ちながらも未だ取り壊されず、植物に浸食され山の一部なっていく勢いです。この工場廃墟で最も印象的な場所は、半ば植物園と化している巨大な倉庫群！五度目の台湾旅行でこんな美しい廃墟に出会えるとは…
A Little History
The plant opened back in 1958 for cutting and processing Formosan and red cypress trees growing in the area. This became one of the major companies that supported the golden era of forest industries in Taiwan. It once carried 2000 workers, majority of them were retired veterans. After their CEO passed away, business started downsizing due to traffic problems caused by trimming down trees.
1958年に開業した木材工場は、周囲の山々に生息する台湾ヒノキや赤檜を伐採し、木材加工を行っていました。工場は、台湾の林業黄金期を支えた一大企業へと成長していきます。最大2000人の労働者を雇い、そのほとんどが退役軍人だったといわれてます。社長の死後、森林伐採や周辺道路への交通問題に周囲の反対も強まり、急速に事業は縮小し、1985年閉業。それ以来廃墟となっています。
The Science Lab
Medicinal substances and supplies, many of the labels written in Japanese, were found in the lab adjacent to the plant. They were mostly left untouched, which is something you won’t see often nowadays. The map on the wall tells us how huge this plant was back then.
併設された実験室には数多くの魅惑的な薬品や消耗品が散在しています。その多くが略奪や破壊されずに陳列されているのも貴重なこと。薬品瓶の表記の多くは日本語。親近感を覚えます。壁には印象的な工場の敷地の地図が綺麗に残っています。
Massive Botanical Garden!
Large warehouses turned into a massive botanical garden over time. The sunlight beaming from the holes in the roof created a silent but dramatic scene. All you could hear were the sound of birds chirping, frogs singing, and water dropping. This is the world of The Last of Us… except for the mosquitoes…
植物園と化した倉庫。鉄骨むき出しの天井から日光が降り注ぎ、幻想的な雰囲気を醸しだしています。目の前に広がる光景はただただ静寂で、小鳥の声、滴の音、カエルの鳴き声が耳にダイレクトに聞こえる不思議な空間。The Last of Usの世界がここにあります。しかし蚊が多いｗ！
Exploring Video
Guards from the Wild
We suddenly heard a loud noise. BANG! It was a troop of monkeys running away from us. My friend told me not to look at them directly or else they will attack. We were also attacked by huge mosquitoes, even though we were equipped with repellent sprays.
突如大きな物音！なんと大きなサルの群れが私たちを警戒し、逃げていく姿が。「目を合わせないで！襲われるから」と友達が注意。さらに巨大な蚊がたくさん飛んでいて、襲撃に合うこともしばしば…。虫除けATフィールドを簡単に破ってくるタフなガードマンたちがこの工場を守っています。
