Chiayi Sawmill

The Chiayi Sawmill will be temporarily closed starting December 30, 2024, due to facility and landscape improvement projects. The project is expected to last approximately 15 months, and the actual reopening date will be announced separately. We apologize for any inconvenience. Source: Chiayi Sawmill Established in 1914 (the third year of the Taisho era during the Japanese colonial period), it was the largest government-operated timber industrial park established by the Japanese government during that era. It was responsible for storing timber felled from Alishan and undertook the important task of processing logs into lumber. Its scale and output were once acclaimed as the largest in East Asia. The spatial planning within the sawmill included a power room, sawdust room, office, machinery workshop, drying room, and manual weaving workshop. Notably, the power room to the left of the entrance was Chiayi's first steel-frame reinforced concrete building and also Chiayi's earliest thermal power plant. A century ago, Chiayi was already renowned for its mechanized timber industry. Mechanical operations required electricity, but at that time, only a few areas in Taiwan had an electricity supply. In 1911 (the 44th year of Meiji in Japan), Chiayi City had a private company, "Chiayi Electric Light Co., Ltd.," which used gas engines to supply electricity for streetlights and some households. However, the Chiayi Sawmill's operations, including timber processing, large and small sawmills, and mobile cable cranes in the log pond, demanded even more power. Consequently, it had to generate its own electricity, which led to the establishment of the power room. The machinery workshop was adjacent to the power room. By examining the historical transformation of its spatial layout, one can understand the rise and fall of the century-old forestry industry. The first-generation sawmill began operation in 1914 (the third year of Taisho in Japan). The main building was a reinforced concrete structure, partly three stories and partly two stories high, equipped with the most advanced machinery imported from the United States, demonstrating the sawmill's grandeur and high efficiency. At that time, the Japanese imperial family and various domestic and international visitors often came to observe and pay homage, making it a prominent attraction. Unfortunately, the factory was destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1941 (the 16th year of Showa). The second-generation sawmill was built after the earthquake. It was a large-span wooden structure built entirely from Alishan cypress, making it highly distinctive. With changes in government forestry policies and the rise of conservation awareness, logging in the Alishan forest area ceased. The Chiayi timber industry once propelled Chiayi City to become the national timber production and sales center, earning it the title of the "Timber City." Although its former glory has faded, the factory building structure remains intact and possesses cultural heritage value. The Chiayi Forest District Office plans to create the "Alishan Forestry Village," connecting the Hinoki Village, Chiayi Railway Garage Park, the Sawmill, and the Forest Song. Following the imagery of the "Timber City," it aims to develop tourist attractions imbued with local historical and cultural characteristics and uniqueness, promoting the development of the timber culture tourism industry.