Beimen Station

Beimen Station was formerly the starting point for the forest railway's steam trains and a distribution hub for Alishan Railway's cargo. Daily necessities for areas along the Alishan Railway were transported up the mountain from here, giving it significant importance. The Alishan Forest Railway is one of the world's renowned high-mountain railways, possessing a unique charm. The Alishan Forest Railway's Beimen Station was constructed from Taiwanese red cypress and completed before the entire Alishan Railway line opened in 1912. The old Beimen Station was converted into an office for carriage maintenance personnel after the new station was built twenty years ago. This station covers an area of approximately 28 pings (about 92.56 square meters), primarily divided into an office, ticket booth, and waiting room. The Alishan Forest Railway is internationally renowned for its rare features such as the "spiral railway," "Z-shaped ascent," and "62.5 per mille gradient." Beimen Station serves as the starting point of the Alishan Railway. Its station building is constructed entirely from high-grade Alishan red cypress, featuring a classical and elegant design. During the Japanese colonial period, forestry development was the most important economic source. Institutions such as the forestry office, lumber pond, sawmill, train repair factory, and forestry club were established near Beimen Station, creating a complete functional system for the timber industry. Beimen Station thus became an important distribution center for timber felled in Alishan. Before the war, it was operated by Taiwan Takushoku Kaisha (Taiwan Colonization Company); after the war, it was transferred to the Forest Bureau. In October 1973, the new Beimen Station was inaugurated, and Beimen Station officially retired from service. Timber transported down from Alishan by the Alishan Forest Railway gathered near Beimen Station, leading to the proliferation of lumberyards, timber merchants, sawmills, and processing plants. Timber merchants from all directions spurred business opportunities for hotels, restaurants, theaters, etc., resulting in rapid population growth, a booming freight industry, and prosperity across various sectors. The Alishan Forest Railway is one of only three mountain railways remaining in the world, possessing its unique charm. Although the old station lost its function in March 1974 due to the construction of the new station, its simple appearance and facilities hold immense cultural asset value, and the Chiayi City Government has designated it as a municipal historic site. Beimen Station is a Japanese-style wooden station building with an architectural area of 95.15 square meters, primarily divided into a ticket booth, waiting room, and office. It is currently planned as a railway heritage museum. Public artworks such as "The Calling Landmark," "Corridor of Time and Space," and "Ecological Art Wall" have been installed in the square in front of the station and its surroundings, aiming to foster a collective consciousness of railway culture.