Miaoli

Tanwen Train Station (談文湖車站)

I’ve probably never mentioned this, but both my father and my grandfather are pretty highly-skilled carpenters. Growing up, I never really had much respect for what they did, especially when I got dragged out to one of their work sites to ‘learn the family trade’. This is because, where I live in Canada, it’s pretty much the norm to find houses constructed almost entirely of wood, so I never really considered what they did to be all that special - and what kind of kid wants to hang around a construction site anyway?  

Looking back, I wish I took a bit more interest in what they were trying to teach me - not because I regret the decisions I’ve taken in life, but more so because I see a lot of their expertise in some of the articles I write about today. Similarly, after living so long in Taiwan among all of these concrete buildings, it’s easy to feel a bit nostalgic for those things that I thought were far too common in my youth.  

Here in Taiwan, architectural design and construction techniques are concepts that have evolved considerably over time. If you’ve been here long enough, I’m sure you’ll probably have noticed that at some point someone came to the conclusion that the best way to protect people’s homes (from the harsh tropical environment) was to simply pour copious amounts of concrete, and hope for the best.

It wasn’t always like that though - As you might have seen from my various articles about the Japanese period, the architects of that era employed highly-skilled carpenters to assist in the development of the newly acquired colony. Granted, the environmental issues faced by the architects of that era were similar to what those today have to deal with, but they found a way to deal with it, and amazingly many of the wooden buildings that were constructed more than a century ago are in better shape than concrete structures half their age.  

That being said, while there are quite a few of these heritage buildings that remain in great shape, and others that have received a bit of restoration - there are many that can be best described as ‘having seen better days’, and today I’m going to be introducing one of them. 

In a recent article, I introduced Dashan Railway Station (大山火車站), a small train station in central Taiwan’s Miaoli county, which is nearing almost a century of operation. I explained in detail in that article how the small station located along Taiwan’s Coastal Railway (海岸線) is known as one of the Coastal Five Treasures (海線五寶), or the Coastal Three Treasures (海線三寶), depending on who you ask. 

Links: Dashan Railway Station (大山火車站) | Xiangshan Railway Station (香山車站)

I don’t want to spend too much time re-hashing information that I’ve already provided, but each of these so-called “treasures” refers to century-old wooden train stations along the coastal railway line, three of which are located in Miaoli, while the other two are in Taichung. In each case, these historic stations are considerably smaller than what you’d expect from most of Taiwan’s other train stations, but have amazingly remained in operation for a century.

Given their age, each of these train stations has been afforded the designation as a protected heritage building, and at some point they’ll all (probably) receive the colloquial fresh coat of paint that they deserve, but as they’re set to celebrate their centennial in 2022, you’d be excused for wondering why they haven’t already received the attention they so desperately require.

Especially in the case of this particular station. 

Of Miaoli’s so-called ‘Three Treasures’, Tanwen Station (談文車站) is probably in the worst shape of the bunch, but even though it looks as if it is falling apart, it has fortunately remained faithful to its original architectural design. Likewise, the materials used to construct the building almost a century ago remain in relatively good shape meaning that if you’re able to visit before they restore the building, you’ll get to see it in its original glory!

Coastal Railway (海岸線 / かいがんせん)

An illustration of the separation between the Mountain and Coastal Lines.

The history of the railway in Taiwan dates back as far as 1891 (光緒17), when the Qing governor, attempted to construct a route stretching from Keelung (基隆) all the way to Hsinchu (新竹). Ultimately though, the construction of the railway came at too high of a cost, especially with war raging back home in China, so any plans to expand it further were put on hold.

A few short years later in 1895 (明治28), the Japanese took control of Taiwan, and brought with them a team of skilled engineers who were tasked with coming up with plans to have that already established railway evaluated, and then to come up with suggestions to extend it all the way to the south of Taiwan and beyond.   

The Jūkan Tetsudo Project (ゅうかんてつどう / 縱貫鐵道), otherwise known as the ‘Taiwan Trunk Railway Project’ sought to have the railroad pass through all of Taiwan’s already established settlements, including Kirin (基隆), Taihoku (臺北), Shinchiku (新竹), Taichu (臺中), Tainan (臺南) and Takao (高雄). 

Completed in 1908 (明治41), the more than four-hundred kilometer railway connected the north to the south for the first time ever, and was all part of the Japanese Colonial Government’s master plan to ensure that Taiwan’s precious natural resources would be able to flow smoothy out of the ports in Northern, Central, and Southern Taiwan. 

Once completed, the Railway Department of the Governor General of Taiwan (台灣總督府交通局鐵道部) set its sights on constructing branch lines across the country as well as expanding the railway network with a line on the eastern coast as well. 

Link: Taiwan Railway Museum (臺灣總督府鐵道部)

The Mountain and Coastal Line circuit between Zhunan and Changhua.

However, after almost a decade of service, unforeseen circumstances in central Taiwan necessitated changes in the way that the western railway was operated, with issues arising due to typhoon and earthquake damage. More specifically, the western trunk railway in southern Miaoli passed through the mountains and required somewhat of a steep incline in several sections before eventually crossing bridges across the Da’an (大安溪) and Da’jia Rivers (大甲溪).

Issues with the railway in the aftermath of a couple of devastating earthquakes created a lot of congestion, and periodic service outages in passenger and freight service when the railway and the bridges had to be repaired. 

Link: Long-Teng Bridge (龍騰斷橋)

To solve this problem, the team of railway engineers put forward a plan to construct the Kaigan-sen (かいがんせん / 海岸線), or the Coastal Railway Branch line between Chikunangai (ちくなんがい / 竹南街) and Shoka (しょうかちょう / 彰化廳), or the cities we refer to today as Chunan (竹南) and Changhua (彰化). 

Link: Western Trunk Line | 縱貫線 (Wiki)  

Opening ceremonies for the Coastal Line on October 11th, 1922

Construction on the ninety kilometer Coastal Line started in 1919, and amazingly was completed just a few short years later in 1922 (大正11), servicing eighteen stations, some of which (as I mentioned above) continue to remain in service today. 

Those stations were: Zhunan (竹南), Tanwen (談文湖), Dashan (大山), Houlong (後龍), Longgang (公司寮), Baishatun (白沙墩), Xinpu (新埔), Tongxiao (吞霄), Yuanli (苑裡), Rinan (日南), Dajia (大甲), Taichung Port (甲南), Qingshui (清水), Shalu (沙轆), Longjing (龍井), Dadu (大肚), Zhuifen (追分) and Changhua (彰化).

(Note: English is current name / Chinese is the original Japanese-era station name)

The completion of the Coastal Railway was incredibly signficant for a number reasons - most importantly, it assisted with moving freight between the ports in Keelung and Taichung much more efficiently, especially when it came to moving things out central Taiwan given that one of the stations was located at the port in Taichung. Although the railway was primarily used for moving freight back and forth, another important aspect was that the railway allowed for the smaller communities along the coast to grow and become more economically viable.

On that last point, the construction of the railway along the coast not only provided passenger service to the communities that grew along the coast, but it also allowed for entrepreneurs in those areas access to a modern method of exporting their own products for the first time. If you know anything about the relationship between Japan and Taiwan, one of the things that the Japanese absolutely love about this beautiful country is the wide variety of fruit that is grown here.

The coastal railway helped to ignite that passion with the coastal area in Miaoli exporting massive amounts of watermelons and other produce.

Tanwen Station (談文湖車站)

When the Western Coastal Railway opened for service, a number of railway stations simultaneously opened their doors, marking a historic day for passenger and freight service along Taiwan’s western coast, and more importantly improving upon to efficiency of the already existing railway. One of those stations was Miaoli’s Tanwen Station (談文車站 / だんぶんえき), which officially opened on October 11th, 1922 (大正11年).

Originally known as ‘Tanbunmizūmi Station’ (談文湖駅 / だんぶんみずうみえき), or ‘Tanwenhu’ in Mandarin, you might notice that at some point over the past century, one of the characters in the name seems to have disappeared. Currently referred to as “Tanwen” (談文), the character “湖” (mizūmi / hú / lake) was removed shortly after the Japanese-era came to an end.

The original name was derived from the fact that the low-lying area where the station was constructed was once home to a freshwater lake, part of an estuary of the nearby Zhonggang River (中港溪), which flows from the mountains and empties in the ocean. 

That lake however seems to have disappeared, much like the character in the original name.

If you visit the station, you’ll likely notice that beyond the railway platforms there are a number of rice paddies, so I’m assuming that the lake that once existed there was at some point absorbed into the agricultural network set up by local farmers. Nevertheless, a few years after the Japanese-era came to an end, the Chinese Nationalist-controlled Taiwan Railway Administration officially renamed the station “Tanwen Station” (談文車站), removing mention of the ‘lake’ in the original name.  

Unlike most the nation’s railway stations, Tanwen Station isn’t located within a town, village or even a community - It sits quietly along the Taiwan #1 Highway (台1線 / 縱貫公路), and it’s safe to say that most of the out-of-towners who pass by in their cars aren’t even likely to notice it. One of the reasons for this is because the station is also uniquely located down a hill just off of the highway. To reach the front door, you’ll have to walk down the narrow pathway, which is only really wide enough for scooters. 

As mentioned above, one of the main reasons for the construction of the Coastal Railway was to alleviate congestion on the main rail line between Hsinchu and Taichung, but another reason that the railway could similarly offer freight access to the farmers along the coast, who most notably were in the business of exporting Miaoli’s famed watermelons to the ports in Taichung and Keelung for the market back in Japan.

So, if you’ve ever heard someone claim that the coastal railway was constructed to essentially get those precious watermelons back to Japan faster, they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. If you’ve ever eaten a Taiwanese watermelon (or any fruit grown here), it shouldn’t really surprise you!

That being said, when you visit Tanwen Station today, you’d likely come to a conclusion (similar to my own) that that the station doesn’t really seem like it was set up in an optimal way for loading freight. Amazingly though, given the station’s location, and being the first stop along the Coastal railway, it was a prosperous one, given that neighboring Zaoqiao (造橋) was in the business of exporting acacia (相思木) and charcoal while Gongguan (公館) was producing red tiles (紅瓦) and Nanzhuang (南庄) was mining coal, all of which would have been loaded on freight trains at Tanwen to be sent south to the port in Taichung. 

Waiting area outside of the station

Having visited the station, I found it a bit difficult to believe that so much freight could have passed through there over the years. Taking a look at the satellite view on Google Maps however provides an explanation as to how this was actually possible - While the station itself was located in a low-lying area off of the (current) highway, another road was constructed on the opposite side of the tracks to facilitate the processing and loading of freight onto trains. While also quite narrow, the road would have serviced one-way traffic in and out, and looks as if it would have been an efficient set up with passengers entering through the station on one side and the freight being processed on the other side of the tracks.

The economic prosperity created by the station ultimately only ended up lasting a few decades as when the Japanese-era ended, so did much of the exporting of goods that went with it. The Coastal Railway continued its regular service, but as time passed, the number of freight trains running through the area gradually decreased, and today they have become almost non-existent.

Official figures state that in 2020, 24,242 passengers got off and on the train at Tanwen Station, which means that on average fewer than fifty people pass through its gates everyday. To offer a point of comparison, the next station over, Zhunan Station (竹南車站), records almost 15,000 daily passengers, which should go to show just how quiet it is at Tanwen Station. 

Covered walkway around the side of the station

Before I get into the architectural design of the station, I’m going to provide a brief timeline of events that took place at the station over the past century:

  • 10/11/1922 (大正11年) - Tanbunmizūmi Station (淡文湖駅) officially opens for service.

  • 3/10/1954 (民國43年) - The name of the station is officially changed to Tanwen Station (談文車站).

  • 5/30/1976 (民國65年) - A head-on collision near the station results in 29 dead and 141 injured.

  • 3/15/1991 (民國80年) - The station is reclassified as a Simple Platform Station (簡易站).

  • 3/21/2008 (民國97年) - The station is recognized as a protected historic building (歷史建築).

  • 06/30/2015 (民國104年) - The station switches to the usage of card swiping services rather than issuing tickets.

  • 10/10/2022 (民國111年) - The station will celebrate its 100th year of service.

Architectural Design 

Interestingly, when we talk about the stations that make up Miaoli’s Japanese-era “Three Treasures”, the architectural design of each of the stations differ only slightly. I suppose this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise given that they were all relatively small stations, each of which opened in the same year, meaning that they obviously saved some money when it came to architectural design and construction costs.

These buildings are about as formulaic as you’ll get with Japanese architectural design, but don’t let that fool you - the simplicity of these stations allows for some special design elements. 

Obviously, as mentioned above, this station is currently in pretty bad shape compared to its contemporaries in Dashan and Xinpu, but even though the paint is chipping and parts of the station look like they’re falling apart, it is remarkably still in pretty good shape - especially when you take into consideration how old it is and that it has been completely open to the elements for a number of years.

Constructed in a fusion of Japanese and Western architectural design, one of the reasons these stations stand out today is that they were built almost entirely of wood (木造結構), more specifically locally sourced Taiwanese cedar (杉木). Another reason is because the architectural design fusion in the stations that were constructed during the Taishō era (大正) borrowed elements of Western Baroque (巴洛克建築), with that of traditional Japanese design.

Approaching the station from the highway

To start, the station was constructed using the ubiquitous Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造 / いりもやづくり) style of design, most often referred to simply in English as the “East Asian hip-and-gable roof” which more or less means that the building has a roof that is larger than its base. In this style of design, one of the best ways to ensure structural stability was to construct a network of beams and trusses within both the interior and exterior of the building. This allows the roof to (in this case ever to slightly) eclipse the base (母屋) while ensuring that its weight is evenly distributed so that it doesn’t collapse.

One of the areas where you’ll find that the dilapidated state of the station most interesting is that you can find parts where the ‘bamboo mud walls’ (編竹夾泥牆) are exposed, giving you a pretty good view of how walls were reinforced and insulated in Taiwan during the colonial era. This construction method was similar to what was commonly used back in Japan, but since bamboo was both cheap and abundant in Taiwan, the style was modified to form a lattice using bamboo, which is an impressively reliable building material. 

Link: Bamboo Mud Wall (Wiki)

The roof was designed using the kirizuma-zukuri (妻造的樣式) style, which is one of the oldest and most commonly used designs in Japan. Translated simply as a “cut-out gable” roof, the kirizuma-style is one of the simplest of Japan’s ‘hip-and-gable’ roofs. What this basically means is that you have a section of the roof (above the rear entrance) that ‘cuts’ out from the rest of the roof and faces outward like an open book (入), while the longer part of the roof is curved facing in the opposite direction. From either the sky walk or the highway, you can get an excellent view of the roof as you descend either toward the building. 

The roof was originally covered in Japanese-style black tiles (日式黑瓦), but like nearby Dashan Station, the tiles were replaced at some point (I haven’t found a specific date) with imitation cement tiles that remain similar to the original sodegawara (袖瓦/そでがわら), munagawara (棟瓦 /むながわらあ), nokigawara (軒瓦/のきがわら), and onigawara (鬼瓦/おにがわら) elements of traditional Japanese roof design.

Ox-tail window under the apex of the roof

One of the most notable ‘baroque-inspired’ elements of the building’s architectural design is the addition of the round ox-eye window (牛眼窗) located above the ‘cut’ section of the roof near the arch. If you’re descending the sky walk from the platform, its likely one of the first things you’ll notice as it is facing in that direction. The window helps to provide natural light into the station hall, and is one of those architectural elements that Japanese architects of the period absolutely loved. 

The interior of the building is split in two sections, much like what we saw the former Qidu Railway Station with the largest section acting as the station hall while the other was where the station staff and ticket windows were located. Given that the station remains in operation today, only the station hall section is open to the public. That being said, the daily operation of the station is coordinated out of neighouring Zhunan Station (竹南車站), and the only employee you’ll find working there is most often found sitting within in a kiosk on the platform area. The station office is completely closed as is the ticket booth (the station shifted to card swiping for ticket purchasing) so you can’t even take a peek inside to see what the office looks like. 

The empty interior of the station hall

Today the station hall has been more or less stripped down and is pretty much empty, except for a few notices on the walls. The relative emptiness of the interior however allows you to appreciate the design of the building a bit more as you are free to walk around and examine everything closely, and at your leisure.

Personally, while I did appreciate that the station hall was empty, I thought its size, the open windows and the natural afternoon light made it a really comfortable experience, especially in comparison to the modern stations you’ll find throughout the country today. 

One of my favorite aspects of the architectural design of the station is the L-shaped covered walkway located to the rear of the station hall and around to the side. As a son of a carpenter, this is one of the areas where I was able to really appreciate the traditional Japanese-style carpentry. Even though you can find these covered walkways included within almost all of the older Japanese-era stations, out of those that I’ve visited so far, this one is my favorite as you can better appreciate its age when you’re there.

Paint chipping off of the station

Unfortunately, even though Tanwen Station is a protected historic property, it has certainly seen better days in terms of its condition. It’s unclear as to when the local government will ever pull the trigger on repairing the station, or having it completely restored - but if it doesn’t happen within the next few years, there might not be much left of the original building to restore.

One would hope that it would eventually receive the same treatment that the nearby Xiangshan Station has received, but only time will tell.

Still, I’m happy that I was able to check out the station in its original condition before it was fully repaired. If you feel the same way, and would like to enjoy a similar experience, I recommend planning a trip to the station within the near future. 

Getting There

 

Address: #29 Ren-ai Road, Zaoqiao Township, Miaoli County (苗栗縣造橋鄉談文村仁愛路29號) 

GPS: 24.656440 120.858330

As is the case with all of my articles about Taiwan’s historic railway stations, I’m going to say something that shouldn’t really surprise you - When you ask what is the best way to get to this train station, the answer should be pretty obvious: Take the train! 

Tanwen Railway Station is one of the first stations you’ll reach after passing over into Miaoli County from Hsinchu. There are however a couple of important things to remember about taking the train: The first is that the station is located south of Hsinchu Station (新竹車站) on the Coastal Line (海線), and the second is that the station is only serviced by local commuter trains (區間車). What this means is that if you take an express train from Taipei or anywhere north of Hsinchu, you’ll have to switch to a commuter train once you’re there.

Be very careful about this, because the majority of trains leaving Hsinchu will take the mountain line (山線), and that’s definitely not where you want to be (on this excursion anyway). The ride to the station should take less than half an hour (25 minutes to be precise) from Hsinchu, and once you’re there you’ll be able to check out the station at your leisure before hopping back on the train to your next destination.

And if you’re asking for recommendations, I’d suggest stopping by the other Japanese-era railway stations in the vicinity such as Xiangshan (香山車站), Dashan (大山車站) and Xinpu (新埔車站) - or hopping back on the Mountain Line to check out Zaoqiao Station (造橋車站) and Tongluo Station (銅鑼車站).

For most weekend visitors, the station acts as a starting point for the Zhenghan Trail (鄭漢紀念步道), a relatively short hiking trail that provides excellent views of the coast and the Coastal Railway. It’s also a pretty popular location for railway photographers to take landscape photos of trains coming through the coastal landscape. If you’re interested in the trail, I highly recommend checking out the link below, which provides all the information you’ll need about hiking the trail.

Link: Zhenghan Trail 鄭漢幾年步道 (Taiwan Trails and Tales)

If on the other hand you’re in the area and you’re driving a car or scooter, but still want to stop by and check out the station, that’s okay as well. You should be able to easily find the station if you input the address provided above into your GPS or Google Maps. The station is located along the side of the road in Miaoli’s Zaoqiao Township (造橋鄉). If you’re driving a car, the station is next to a busy country road where parking is somewhat awkward, although not entirely impossible - if you’re only stopping by for a short time.

When you arrive, you’re free to walk around and check it out as it is pretty much an empty shell these days with riders having to walk across the sky walk to the platforms to swipe in and out.

References

  1. 談文車站 | Tanwen Station | 談文駅 (Wiki) 

  2. 海線五寶 (Wiki)

  3. 細說苗栗「海線三寶」車站物語 (臺灣故事)

  4. 談文駅 (れとろ駅舎)

  5. 海線的老火車站 (二): 談文火車站 (Maggie’s Home)

  6. 『談文車站』苗栗縣定歷史建築~台鐵海線五寶之一的木造車站! (瑋瑋*美食萬歲 )

  7. 木造車站-海線五寶 (張誌恩 / 許正諱)

  8. 海線僅存五座木造車站:談文、大山、新埔、日南、追分全收錄!(David Win)


Dashan Train Station (大山腳車站)

There is a very short list of buildings in Taiwan that have been able to celebrate their centennial while also continuing to serve the exact same purpose they did when they were first constructed. Next year (2022) however will see that exclusive list grow a little longer with a couple of railway stations that will be celebrating one hundred years of service. 

There have been few factors more instrumental to Taiwan’s modern development than the construction of the railway network that circles the country. In fact, if it weren’t for the construction of the railway, it’s highly unlikely that Taiwan would have been able to achieve even a fraction of the prosperity that it has today. For a lot of countries (especially my own), the railway might seem like something of an afterthought, but for Taiwan, the railway has always been the beating-heart of the community.

That being said, Taiwan’s rapid and continual development over the past century has also meant that much of its older infrastructure has had to be replaced due to age, and the inability to serve the needs of the modern nation state. Indeed, for most people, efficiency is one of the most important factors in our modern lives, and that means that many of the country’s ‘outdated’ buildings have been left to rot, or have sadly been completely demolished in order to make way for modernity. 

As the nation has grown into its own however, people have started to reflect on their heritage while also yearning for increased accessibility to important pieces of their history. In recent years we have seen a renewed focus on the restoration of historic buildings across with the country, and when it comes to the history of the all-important railway, we are blessed with a number of historic buildings and museums where we can learn about the history of this beautiful country.

There are some cases however where we can experience living history, so when we’re able to come across a railway station that has continued to serve the same community for more than a hundred years, it’s a pretty special experience.

Today, I’ll be introducing one of the stations that is regarded as one of the “Coastal Five Treasures” (海線五寶), or the “Coastal Three Treasures” (海線三寶), depending on who you ask. To explain, each of these “treasures” refers to a nearly century-old Japanese-era train station located in either Miaoli (苗栗縣) or Taichung (台中縣) on the coastal section of the Western Trunk Line (縱貫線) of the railway between Keelung and Kaohsiung.

The reason why I saw the name depends on who you ask is due to special situation Miaoli finds itself in as of late with the running joke that it is actually a sovereign country within Taiwan known as Miaoli-kuo (苗栗國). I’m sure someone could write an entire thesis on this running joke and how it originated, but what I’ll say is that in Chinese, the term “Three Treasures” (三寶) is a much more auspicious and meaningful number than five, so linguistically it has more sway. But if you’re not from Miaoli, you might just want to include the two stations in Taichung, because they deserve the same amount of respect. 

Note: “Three Treasures” (三寶) linguistically refers to “the Buddha”, “the Dharma”, and “the Sangha” (佛寶, 法寶, 僧寶) in Buddhism, also known as the “Three Jewels” or the “Three Roots” and is a term that has significant meaning throughout Asia.

That being said, the term “三寶” (sān bǎo) has taken on a number of meanings ranging from Hong Kong style of bento box that features three kinds of meat (三寶飯), or an idiot driving on the road (馬路三寶), among others. 

This article is the first of a series of posts about these five so-called “treasures,” and I’m going to start by introducing Northern Miaoli’s Dashan Station (大山火車站), which is (out of the five), arguably in the best shape of the lot and is home to a few unique additions that you won’t find anywhere else in Taiwan. 

Before I start though, I’m going to take a few minutes to introduce the historic Coastal Railway Line where these stations make their home. 

Coastal Railway (海岸線 / かいがんせん)

The history of the railway in Taiwan dates back as far as 1891 (光緒17), when the Qing governor, attempted to construct a route stretching from Keelung (基隆) all the way to Hsinchu (新竹). Ultimately though, the construction of the railway came at too high of a cost, especially with war raging back home in China, so any plans to expand it further were put on hold.

A few short years later in 1895 (明治28), the Japanese took control of Taiwan, and brought with them a team of skilled engineers who were tasked with coming up with plans to have that already established railway evaluated and then to come up with suggestions to extend it all the way to the south of Taiwan and beyond.   

The Jūkan Tetsudō Project (ゅうかんてつどう / 縱貫鐵道), otherwise known as the ‘Taiwan Trunk Railway Project’ sought to have the railroad pass through all of Taiwan’s already established settlements, including Kirin (基隆), Taihoku (臺北), Shinchiku (新竹), Taichu (臺中), Tainan (臺南) and Takao (高雄). 

Completed in 1908 (明治41), the more than four-hundred kilometer railway connected the north to the south for the first time ever, and was all part of the Japanese Colonial Government’s master plan to ensure that Taiwan’s precious natural resources would be able to flow smoothy out of the ports in Northern, Central, and Southern Taiwan. 

Once completed, the Railway Department of the Governor General of Taiwan (台灣總督府交通局鐵道部) set its sights on constructing branch lines across the country as well as expanding the railway network with a line on the eastern coast as well. 

Link: Taiwan Railway Museum (臺灣總督府鐵道部)

However, after almost a decade of service, unforeseen circumstances in central Taiwan necessitated changes in the way that the western railway was operated, with issues arising due to typhoon and earthquake damage. More specifically, the western trunk railway in Southern Miaoli passed through the mountains and required somewhat of a steep incline in sections before eventually crossing bridges across the Da’an (大安溪) and Da’jia Rivers (大甲溪), which started to create a lot of congestion, and periodic service outages when the railway and the bridges had to be repaired. 

Link: Long-Teng Bridge (龍騰斷橋)

To solve this problem, the team of railway engineers suggested the construction of the Kaigan-sen (かいがんせん / 海岸線), or the Coastal Railway Branch line between Chikunangai (ちくなんがい / 竹南街) and Shoka (しょうかちょう / 彰化廳), or what we refer to today as Chunan and Changhua. 

Link: Western Trunk Line | 縱貫線 (Wiki)  

Construction on the ninety kilometer Coastal Line started in 1919, and amazingly was completed just a few short years later in 1922 (大正11), servicing eighteen stations, some of which (as I mentioned above) continue to remain in service today. 

Those stations were: Zhunan (竹南), Tanwen (談文湖), Dashan (大山), Houlong (後龍), Longgang (公司寮), Baishatun (白沙墩), Xinpu (新埔), Tongxiao (吞霄), Yuanli (苑裡), Rinan (日南), Dajia (大甲), Taichung Port (甲南), Qingshui (清水), Shalu (沙轆), Longjing (龍井), Dadu (大肚), Zhuifen (追分) and Changhua (彰化).

(Note: English is current name / Chinese is the original Japanese-era station name)

Oyamagashi Railway Station (大山腳驛 / おうやまあしえき)

One of the first things most people notice when stepping off the train onto the platform at Dashan Station is that there aren’t actually any mountains nearby. For those of you who aren’t Mandarin speakers, the name “Dashan” (大山 / dà shān), quite literally translates into English as “Big Mountain,” so you may understand the confusion as to how the station derives its name.

To figure this out, I had to do quite a bit of digging as there isn’t very much information about this station, or the community around it available save for the basics. To start, the original Japanese name of the station was Oyamagashi Station (大山腳驛 / おうやまあしえき), which is slightly different than the current name. The difference is that there is an additional Chinese character “腳” (jiao), which means “foot” or “base” and could be interpreted as the area at the base of a large mountain. 

Still though, there aren’t any large mountains nearby, so we have to dig a bit deeper. 

It turns out that the Hokkien people (閩南人) who had settled in the area long before the arrival of the Japanese referred to sections of their community either as the ‘upper’ (上大山腳) or ‘lower’ (下大山腳) base of the mountain, or ‘hill’ in Taiwanese as “Suann-lūn” (山崙). In this case instead of an actual ‘mountain’, the word refers to a small hill that is elevated higher than the general terrain. In this way, you could argue that this is a fitting description as the station is located at a lower elevation than the rest of the community that it serves with hills and sand dunes on the opposite side near the coast. 

The rear of the station

As mentioned above, the Coastal Line was completed in 1919, but these smaller stations didn’t actually start appearing until a few years later. This was due to the fact that the purpose of the line wasn’t originally meant to provide passenger service, but to ease the congestion of freight traffic between the north and south through that dangerous patch of railway in central Taiwan. So when these stations started appearing, they were actually meant for driving economic development with relation to moving freight and the products from the coastal areas.

And if you know anything about the Houlong (後龍) area, that freight was most certainly copious amounts of watermelons being sent to port in Taichung for export back to Japan. If you weren’t already aware, Taiwanese fruit exports were huge during the Japanese-era, and watermelon and pineapples were especially popular.

Oyamagashi Station as we know it today was constructed in 1922 (大正11年) and officially opened for passenger service on October 10th, which is actually a pretty cool coincidence as I started writing this article on October 10th, 2021, the 99th anniversary of the station. 

The station name painted on one of the warehouses to the rear

Before I get into the architectural design of the station, I’ll provide a bit of a timeline of events that took place at the station over the past century.

  • 10/11/1922 - The station opens for service and is named Oyamagashi Station (大山腳驛)

  • 10/25/1945 - The Japanese formally surrender control of Taiwan at the end of WWII. 

  • 04/01/1965 - The station is officially renamed “Dashan Station” (大山火車站).

  • 04/01/1991 - The station is reclassified as a ‘Simple Platform Station’ (簡易站).

  • 06/10/2005 - The station is recognized as a protected historic building (歷史建築). 

  • 06/30/2015 - The station switches to the usage of card swiping services rather than issuing tickets.

  • 12/23/2019 - A drunk driver crashes his truck into the front of the station causing considerable damage.

  • 10/10/2022 - The station will celebrate its 100th year of service. 


To expand on a few of the points above, many of the coastal line’s stations were converted to ‘Simple Platform Stations’ in the early 1990s, which essentially meant that they would only be serviced by Local Commuter Trains (區間車), while the express trains would pass by without stopping. It also meant that the station wouldn’t continue to have a Station Manager (站長) on site with those responsibilities delegated to the manager of a larger station nearby, in this case, Houlong Railway Station (後龍火車站).

Architectural Design

Interestingly, when we talk about the stations that make up Miaoli’s Japanese-era “Three Treasures”, the architectural design of each of the stations differ only in slight ways. I suppose this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise given that they were all smaller stations, each of which opened in 1922, meaning that they obviously saved some money when it came to architectural design. That being said, the design of these buildings is about as formulaic as you’ll get with Japanese architectural design, but don’t let that fool you - the simplicity of these stations allows for some special design elements. 

The station was constructed in a fusion of Japanese and Western architectural design, and one of the reasons it stands out today (apart from its age) is that it was built almost entirely of wood (木造結構), more specifically locally sourced Taiwanese cedar (杉木), making use of a concrete base and a network of beams within the building to ensure structural stability.

The architectural design fusion of the stations that were constructed during the Taishō era (大正) often borrowed elements of Western Baroque (巴洛克建築) and combined them with that of traditional Japanese design. In this case, the design is quite subdued (likely for cost saving measures), which makes the traditional Japanese design elements stand out more. That being said, even though the architectural design is considered simplistic in comparison to other Japanese-era buildings, it does feature several elements that allow it to stand out. 

To start, the station was constructed using Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造 / いりもやづくり) style of design, most often referred to in English as the “East Asian hip-and-gable roof.” As mentioned above, the building was constructed with a network of beams and trusses found in the interior and exterior of the building. This allows the roof to (in this case slightly) eclipse the base (母屋) in size and ensure that its weight is evenly distributed so that the building doesn’t collapse.

The roof itself was designed using the kirizuma-zukuri (妻造的樣式) style, which is one of the oldest and most commonly used designs in Japan. Translated simply as a “cut-out gable” roof, the kirizuma-style is one of the simplest of Japan’s ‘hip-and-gable’ roofs. What this basically means is that you have a section of the roof (above the rear entrance) that ‘cuts’ out from the rest of the roof and faces outward like an open book (入), while the longer part of the roof is curved facing in the opposite direction. From the front of the building, the roof looks rather simple save for the fact that it is split into two levels with a lower section that covers the walkway that surrounds the building on three sides.

The roof is covered in Japanese-style black tiles (日式黑瓦), which were replaced in 2000 (民國89年) after almost eighty years. Still, after twenty years the current roof tiles are in pretty good shape despite their color fading somewhat thanks to the salt in the air due to the proximity to the coast. 

The interior of the station hall

The area between the upper part of the roof and the lower part features several glass windows meant to allow for natural light to enter the building. Unfortunately, at some point someone had a brain fart and placed square lighted signs with the name of the station that blocks the windows. This is one reason why you’ll find that the interior of the building is a little dark, even during the afternoon when the sun is at its brightest.

The interior of the building is split in two sections, much like what we saw the former Qidu Railway Station with the largest section acting as the station hall while the other was where the station staff and ticket windows were located. Given that this station is still in operation, only one side is understandably open to the public. That being said, there’s not really a whole lot to see when you’re inside as there is only a ticket counter and a passageway to the platform area. The floor is made of concrete, and it looks like it has seen better days. There are large sliding glass windows next to the front entrance as well as to the right while there is a wall on the other side where you’ll find the ticket booth. 

Link: Xiangshan Station (香山車站)

The ticket window in the station hall

One of the most notable aspects of the interior is the wooden gate located near the ticket booth. The gate is rather unique in Taiwan these days in that it is constructed to look like the Japanese word for ‘money’ (円). Likewise, once you’ve passed through the building to the other side you’ll find a beautiful wooden barrier that is similarly one of a kind in Taiwan these days.

From the rear, one of the most notable baroque-inspired elements is the round ox-eye window (牛眼窗) located above the cut section of the roof near the arch. This window helps to provide natural light into the office section of the building, and is one of those architectural elements that Japanese architects of the period absolutely loved. 

Before I finish, one of the events mentioned above in the timeline ended up changing (or disfiguring if you prefer) the face of the station. Unfortunately the news was only reported in Chinese, so I’ll summarize in English here: In 2019, a drunk driver passing through the community lost control of his blue truck and crashed directly into the building, causing a considerable amount of damage. There isn’t a lot of information about the station currently available online, but when you do search it, almost all of the results you’ll get are related to this unfortunate event. The accident caused some problems for the station, but given that it was a protected historic property,  the Taiwan Railway Administration did their best to have it fixed as best they could. When you look at the front of the station now though, you’re likely to notice that there are some wooden panels that are a different shade than the others, and this is why.

Note the difference

Whether or not this was an accident, or intentional is hard to tell. There are certain people in Taiwan who would prefer to see all of the Japanese-era buildings destroyed, hoping to see that part of Taiwan’s history erased from existence. 

If you click the link below you’ll see some of the photos from the incident. 

Link: 貨車駕駛酒駕闖大禍 撞毀百年歷史建築大山車站 (CNA)

Getting There

 

Address: #180 Mingshan Road. Houlong Township, Miaoli County (苗栗縣後龍鎮大山里明山路180號)

GPS: 24.645670, 120.803770

As is the case with any of my articles about Taiwan’s historic railway stations, I’m going to say something that shouldn’t really surprise you - When you ask what is the best way to get to the train station, the answer should be pretty obvious: Take the train! 

Dashan Railway Station is one of the first stations you’ll reach in Miaoli County while traveling south on the Western Coastal Line (海線), so when you think about it, it’s not actually that far away from Taipei, or anywhere in Northern Taiwan. Taking only half an hour from Hsinchu Railway Station (新竹火車站), you’ll be able to check out the station at your leisure before hopping back on the train to your next destination. 

That being said, if you’re already in the area and have access to a car or a scooter, you can easily find the station if you input the address provided above into your GPS or Google Maps. The station is located within Miaoli’s Houlong Township (後龍鎮) along the west coast highway. If you’re driving a car, you’ll find that the station is a simple turn off of the highway into a quiet little village, where you’ll find very little traffic and even fewer people. 

When you arrive at the station, you should be free to walk around and check it out, but if the volunteer who works there is in a bad mood (not likely) you might have to purchase a ‘platform ticket’ (月票 or 月台票) which will allow you to enter the station and walk through the turnstile without getting on the train. It’s the kind of thing people used to purchase when they were seeing off their friends or family, and should only cost about 10NT. You could also just swipe your EasyCard to go in and out, but that’ll cost more (the base price for swiping the card is higher) if you aren’t traveling on the train.

For a lot of people, a simple day-trip could might revolve around a trip to either three, of if ambitious enough, five of the “treasures” which allows you to visit each of these still functioning Japanese era stations. There are a lot of things you can do while hanging out in Taiwan, and while it might seem pretty random to visit five train stations in a single day, it is actually an enriching experience.

I’m not saying that is what you should do, but if you are so inclined, I would applaud anyone who tries it. If you find yourself in Miaoli (especially along the coast) and you’re looking for something to do, I recommend stopping by at least one of these stations to experience a bit of living history. 



Fire Mountain (火炎山)

I’ve lived in Taiwan for well over a decade now and for almost as long as I can remember, every time I’ve travelled south along the national highway, I’ve always enjoyed the view when crossing the Da’an River (大安溪), the area that geographically separates Miaoli from Taichung. 

The reason for this is quite simple, the Miaoli side has a beautiful mountain that glistens in the sun whenever you pass by. When you consider most of Taiwan’s mountains are lush with greenery, this one stands out thanks to almost red-like soil on the mountain side.

Its fair to say that I’ve probably passed by the mountain on the highway a few hundred times throughout my years living here and even though in the back of my mind I always wondered about the mountain, by the time I arrived at my destination, I had already forgotten about it.

Over the past year though, the mountain, which I’ve since learned is aptly named “Fire Mountain” (火炎山), has become a bit of a hit with young people, especially those on Instagram who hike (most of the way) to the top to get a photo of themselves at a spot that has become known as “Taiwan’s Grand Canyon” (台灣大峽谷). 

In retrospect my curiosity about the mountain should have led me to finding out about it much sooner, but sometimes my curiosity about mysterious places often leads me down really deep rabbit holes, so I’ve been trying to make an effort as of late to not let my curiosity take up so much of the little free time I have. 

That being said, the proverbial cat is out of the bag when it comes to this mountain and its recent popularity meant that a visit was definitely in order as I rarely miss the chance to get those super popular instagram photos (Pardon the sarcasm) 

Fire Mountain (火炎山)  

Situated on the geographic barrier between Taiwan’s Miaoli County and Taichung County, “Fire Mountain” or “Flame Mountain” (火炎山) has become one of the new hot spots on the country’s day-hike scene and is highly regarded for its stunning landscapes.  

Once a protected nature reserve and home to several endangered local bird species, the mountain was for quite some time restricted only to researchers and bird watchers with a permit. Now it has reopened to the public and thanks to the skill of some Instagrammers, its popularity has skyrocketed making it one of the busiest trails in central Taiwan, second of course only to Yuanzui Mountain

Stunning landscapes and Instagram photos aside, as one of Taiwan’s Top 100 Mountains (小百岳), Fire Mountain has always been a popular one among crowds attempting to complete one of Taiwan’s hiking challenges. It is also a popular stop for local birdwatchers who visit the mountain every year between April and May to observe flocks of migratory birds arriving back in Taiwan from the Philippines. 

Note: To avoid a bit of confusion I think I should explain: There are two lists of ‘100 Peaks’ in Taiwan. One is a list of 100 peaks that are over 3,000 meters above sea level, known as the “Bai Yue” (台灣百岳) while the other is a list of 100 Peaks that can be climbed relatively easily known as the “Mini Bai Yue” (小百岳), this mountain is on the list of smaller peaks. 

Link: 台灣小百岳列表 (Wiki)

Link: 100 Peaks of Taiwan (台灣百岳) 

Video: Taiwan’s 100 Best Mountains (Goldthread / Youtube)

At its highest, Fire Mountain reaches an elevation of 614 meters on its Northern Peak (北峰) while its Main Peak (主峰) is 596 meters above sea level. Formed hundreds of thousand of years ago, the geological structure of the mountain is similar to that of many of Taiwan’s mountains in that it was created by the movement of tectonic plates.

From the outset, this mountain set itself apart (from the others) in its composition from the ground up thanks to the weak cohesion of sandstone and sedimentary rock that make it less stable. Speaking plainly, this instability simply means that the physical attributes of the mountain are in a constant state of change, so whenever there is a heavy rain, typhoon or earthquake, the mountain changes a bit. 

This natural effect is also the reason why the mountain has become so attractive as its jagged peaks, cliffs, valleys and slopes have all been formed by natural degradation over time. 

Unfortunately (as mentioned above) due to the fragility of the mountain, it had to be closed off to the public for several decades. In 1986 (民國75年) the government designated the mountain as the “Fire Mountain Nature Reserve” (火炎山自然保護區) in order to allow for the mountain to naturally repair itself to prevent the effects of erosion, and to also allow the native Masson’s Pine Tree (馬尾松) to replenish itself. 

Now that the trail has reopened, it has become a popular weekend destination for hikers and day-trippers, so the local government has made an effort to improve the safety of the trail allowing for a much better hiker experience for all. If you do plan on hiking this one (and you should), its important to remember that it is still a protected nature reserve, so try to have as little impact as you can on the natural environment and as always remember to take your trash with you. 

Hiking Fire Mountain

This hike is relatively easy and will only require a few hours of your time. Unlike many of the other mountains that have become popular in recent years, this one is essentially just a brisk nature walk, so you don’t need to be an experienced climber to complete the hike. With this in mind, if you’d like to bring your family or friends for an afternoon outing, this is a trail that should allow everyone to get a bit of exercise and enjoy a bit of Taiwan’s beautiful mountainous landscapes.  

From the outset, the incline of the trail rises at a gradual pace which means that you won’t be starting out with a steep set of stairs like so many other trails. After about five-to-ten minutes of walking, you’ll start to be able to see the elevated highway through the trees and the path will start turning red.

As you hike you’re going to start noticing a few warning signs on the trail where there will be a beaten down path nearby - Unlike most of Taiwans trails, where hikers tie markers to trees which indicate the direction you should be heading in, this one is quite well developed and there is signage everywhere. The lack of these markers isn’t entirely a terrible thing in this case though as the warning signs you’ll see along the way (more often than not indicate) that there is a picturesque vista nearby.

So whenever you come across a warning sign, you’re likely to find an unmarked path branching off from the main trail that leads to an area where you’re able to take photos, and the higher you climb the more beautiful these vistas become. 

The warning signs however are obviously there for a very important reason - The cliffs where you’re able to take these beautiful photos are often quite dangerous and while it may seem like a good idea to get a photo of yourself sitting on the edge of the cliff, you should be aware that erosion on this mountain is a real thing and that if you’re not careful, you might be involved in a landslide of your own making.

You definitely don’t want to have your dead body featured on the news and force the closure of the trail, which would ruin the experience for everyone else, so use your brain and stay safe.

Each time you approach one of the vistas, you may start thinking to yourself that you’ve arrived at the ‘famous photo spot’ but I assure you, when you reach the ‘spot’, you’re going to know. This is because there is a rather generous amount of signage that indicates that you’re approaching the ‘Grand Canyon’ and once you’ve arrived, you’ve pretty much reached your destination. 

When you’re standing at the trailhead and you’re looking at the map of the trail, it provides an ‘estimate’ of how long it should take you to complete the hike. Something that you’re going to have to learn about these signs here in Taiwan is that the estimate is way off and it is never going to take nearly nearly as long to complete. Still though, these estimates are good at scaring people away.

The local authorities estimate that this mountain is going to take about 3.5-4 hours to complete, but its important to note that the vast majority of hikers aren’t coming here to "complete” the mountain, they’re only really hiking to the Grand Canyon and then heading back to the trailhead. With this in mind, you can easily shave off an extra hour or so of the estimate.

Unfortunately, if you are hiking this trail on the weekend, the time you save by not hiking to the peak may end up not being time saved at all - Hiking on the weekends mean that you’re going to have to deal with a bit more traffic on the trails. It also means that if you want to take photos at the Grand Canyon that you’re going to have to get in line with a bunch of ravenous (yet beautiful) Instagram celebrities. If you’re like me though, you may feel quite entertained by watching them take photos with all all their weird poses. 

Given that the trail is so well-developed and that hiking it is rather difficult, you shouldn’t have much trouble hiking this one. If you take a look on instagram at some of the outfits many of the instagram celebrities have worn while hiking, it should offer a much better indication of just how easy this one is. Nevertheless, this is a mountain, so you’ll want to make sure you bring enough water and wear proper footwear. You’ll probably also want to bring a raincoat with you just in case it starts to rain. 

Tour / Permit 

Trailhead warning sign and map

It seems like there is a bit of misinformation out there about whether or not you need a permit to hike the mountain or whether you need to have a tour guide take you up the mountain. 

Let me dispel both of these rumours right now. 

You might have read somewhere on the internet or heard from a friend that you need a permit to hike the mountain. That’s false. You don’t need to have a permit. There are quite a few mountains in Taiwan where you’ll need a permit, but this isn’t one of them. You’re not going to encounter anyone at the trailhead checking for permits or identification. What you will find at the trailhead is simply a map of the route and several warnings about the danger of walking too close to unstable cliffs. 

The reason why people claim that a permit is necessary is because years ago the mountain was a protected nature reserve for replenishing trees and protecting a few endangered local species of birds, most notably the “Grey-faced Buzzard” (灰面鵟鷹) which migrates to the Philippines during the Winter and returns in Taiwan in April each year. 

Those issues seem to have been rectified with time, so they’ve reopened the trail to the public. 

Hello friend!

You might have also read online, especially on some Taiwanese tour sites that you need to take a tour to hike the mountain. That is also false.

If you see a website claiming that you need to join a tour to hike this one, they’re just spreading misinformation in order to make some money off of their paid tours. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s business, but I also don’t like people spreading false information to tourists in order to cheat them and make money. 

Of course having a tour guide and travelling with a tour group could solve some of the travel issues involved with getting to the mountain, but most of these tours are more expensive than what you would pay if you followed the travel advice I’m going to provide below. 

Ultimately it is up to you how you get to the trail, but you definitely don’t need a permit and its not necessary to join a tour - All you have to do is simply walk up to the trailhead and enjoy your hike. 

Getting There

 

One of the main obstacles to climbing Fire Mountain is actually getting to Fire Mountain. 

When I say that, I mean for those who don’t have their own means of transportation, be it car or scooter, getting to the trailhead can be a bit of a hassle that will probably include a train ride and a taxi ride. 

If you have a car, getting to Fire Mountain is rather straight forward - Take the National Highway Number One (國道一號) and get off at the Sanyi Exit (三義交流道). From the interchange make a right turn and then at the first set of traffic lights turn left on Road 13 (台13線). Follow that road until you reach the bottom of the hill where you’ll find yourself under the highway. The trailhead is located directly next to that road. 

When you want to park your car, there isn’t much choice in terms of legal parking spots, so you’ll likely have to park in the “正松泉停車場” paid parking space by the trailhead. The parking fee is only 50NT though, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem - unless of course its full. 

If you are relying on public transportation, the easiest way to get there is to take a train and then take a taxi from the station to the trailhead. If you are travelling from the north, I recommend getting off at Miaoli’s Sanyi Station (三義車站) and if you’re coming from the south, you could get off at Taichung’s Tai’An Station (泰安車站). The distance from both stations is more or less the same, but the trip from Sanyi is probably the most straightforward and should cost around $200NT 

It is important to remember though that if you are taking a train to Sanyi or Tai’An, that at some point you’ll have to switch to a Local Train (區間車) as the Express Trains don’t stop at either of those stations. If you’re coming from the north, get off at Miaoli Station (苗栗車站) and if you’re coming from the south get off at Houli Station (后里車站) to transfer. 

Once you’ve arrived and you get in the taxi, if you can’t speak Chinese you can show him this or try your best to read the pinyin: “我要去火炎山登山口” (wǒ yào qù huǒ yán shān dēng shān kǒu). Considering the popularity of the hike as of late, the driver is likely to know exactly where you want to go. You might also want to remember the drivers phone number or get a copy of his card so that you can call him to pick you up. 

For most travellers this hiking trail isn’t going to be a particularly easy one to get to, but it is a fun one and if you do decide to hike it, you’re going to be rewarded with excellent views of Taiwan’s so-called “Grand Canyon” as well as the Da’an River that stretches all the way out to the ocean. The hike is relatively easy and is well-maintained, so with a bit of effort you’ll be rewarded with several picturesque vistas and you’ll be able to get one of those important instagram photos that everybody’s looking for.

Remember though, some of the cliffs are dangerous, so if you notice a warning sign, it’s best to take some precaution while at the same time enjoying the experience of hiking this beautiful trail.