Solo jaunt.
Introduction and history
This is a place that has been on my doorstep, close to where I once lived yet one I never knew about until it was covered by Synapticism. Mainly because it's been ignored by all other explorers, and whilst it has been the subject of a number of media reports, nobody really knows it actually exists. That said, the significance of this place cannot be understated; it's all that remains of a vault and secure storage site which was commissioned in 1948 when there was a civil war in China between the nationalists (KMT) and the communists (CCP). Its history goes back to 1931 when artefacts started to be taken away from the Forbidden City in Beijing for secure storage in the event of war breaking out. And let's be honest, thank GOD they did after seeing the cultural revolution in which China despicably destroyed so much of its priceless heritage, an act to this day I consider a crime against humankind and culture.
In 1948 the war broke out, and so the artefacts were shipped over to Taiwan then placed in secure storage here, both above ground in storehouses and underground in vaults like you see here. That way they'd be protected against air raids. And so in 1957 they commissioned the National Palace Museum, in which you can see the most magnificent artefacts of all Chinese history, so when that was completed in 1965 the artefacts were removed then this was surplus to requirements.
At this time the government sold this area to Taiwan Studio City, which was a film-themed theme park. Tragically, the 921 earthquake in 1999 destroyed all of the buildings above ground. All that actually did survive, for reasons I cannot understand, was this bunker (or cave, in Chinese), buried underground unknown to everybody. After the demolition of any remaining structures, they actually rediscovered this place and excavated it again.
The explore
In the following years, there was increased attention in the site and tour buses started appearing outside. However the owners got concerned because the place frequently flooded, and if I'm not mistaken there was a case where children got too close and fell into the water. Fearing a case of a child drowning in the water, one of the owners ordered the site be filled in and covered again, and they did so. However in 2021, there have been some landscaping alterations, and somebody dug a bit out at the east entrance, leaving a very small gap for bats to fly inside.
I'd checked it out a week before to see if it was accessible or not, and found it was... with difficulty. I returned a week later in daylight, and through the most filthy, uncomfortable space I slide myself in. So to familiarise myself with my surroundings, I walk directly to the far end, which now has been completely filled in and buried.
The explore was a pretty scary experience, because the space as you can see isn't all that big, and the place is home to several bats which you can see flying around close to you, and even hear squeaking in the distance.
The architectural design is clearly military, if you look at the concrete walls, ventilation and oval shaped design. However nothing remains inside which would indicate its former use whatsoever. The only sign of human occupation is the sign for a fire extinguisher as you see in the photo above. So nothing special, but it's a local site for which the historical significance cannot be understated.
Structural reinforcements against earthquakes mean the place has survived far better than other places, certainly Hushan bunker which you can see in one of my earlier reports. That said, look closely at the floor below, and you'll see that earthquake damage has completely buckled the floor in the middle, creating a ridge.
Terror struck when I was inside the bunker, when my Lenser which must now be over 10 years old started flickering because of a dodgy switch, leaving me in total darkness! Shaken as I was, I turned the battery holder a bit and all was back to normal... until it turned off again!
That's all there is for the bunker, which to be honest is a very short one, but I hope it's worth sharing anyway. Outside looks like this.
There is a history board outside on the road, written in both Chinese and imperfect English.
You'd never know what was there if you looked at the place from the road...
So there you have it. It's not the most interesting site on this island, but an itch needs to be scratched, and when it's within close distance of home there's no reason not to scratch it.
Best wishes as always,
TBM x
Introduction and history
This is a place that has been on my doorstep, close to where I once lived yet one I never knew about until it was covered by Synapticism. Mainly because it's been ignored by all other explorers, and whilst it has been the subject of a number of media reports, nobody really knows it actually exists. That said, the significance of this place cannot be understated; it's all that remains of a vault and secure storage site which was commissioned in 1948 when there was a civil war in China between the nationalists (KMT) and the communists (CCP). Its history goes back to 1931 when artefacts started to be taken away from the Forbidden City in Beijing for secure storage in the event of war breaking out. And let's be honest, thank GOD they did after seeing the cultural revolution in which China despicably destroyed so much of its priceless heritage, an act to this day I consider a crime against humankind and culture.
In 1948 the war broke out, and so the artefacts were shipped over to Taiwan then placed in secure storage here, both above ground in storehouses and underground in vaults like you see here. That way they'd be protected against air raids. And so in 1957 they commissioned the National Palace Museum, in which you can see the most magnificent artefacts of all Chinese history, so when that was completed in 1965 the artefacts were removed then this was surplus to requirements.
At this time the government sold this area to Taiwan Studio City, which was a film-themed theme park. Tragically, the 921 earthquake in 1999 destroyed all of the buildings above ground. All that actually did survive, for reasons I cannot understand, was this bunker (or cave, in Chinese), buried underground unknown to everybody. After the demolition of any remaining structures, they actually rediscovered this place and excavated it again.
The explore
In the following years, there was increased attention in the site and tour buses started appearing outside. However the owners got concerned because the place frequently flooded, and if I'm not mistaken there was a case where children got too close and fell into the water. Fearing a case of a child drowning in the water, one of the owners ordered the site be filled in and covered again, and they did so. However in 2021, there have been some landscaping alterations, and somebody dug a bit out at the east entrance, leaving a very small gap for bats to fly inside.
I'd checked it out a week before to see if it was accessible or not, and found it was... with difficulty. I returned a week later in daylight, and through the most filthy, uncomfortable space I slide myself in. So to familiarise myself with my surroundings, I walk directly to the far end, which now has been completely filled in and buried.
The explore was a pretty scary experience, because the space as you can see isn't all that big, and the place is home to several bats which you can see flying around close to you, and even hear squeaking in the distance.
The architectural design is clearly military, if you look at the concrete walls, ventilation and oval shaped design. However nothing remains inside which would indicate its former use whatsoever. The only sign of human occupation is the sign for a fire extinguisher as you see in the photo above. So nothing special, but it's a local site for which the historical significance cannot be understated.
Structural reinforcements against earthquakes mean the place has survived far better than other places, certainly Hushan bunker which you can see in one of my earlier reports. That said, look closely at the floor below, and you'll see that earthquake damage has completely buckled the floor in the middle, creating a ridge.
Terror struck when I was inside the bunker, when my Lenser which must now be over 10 years old started flickering because of a dodgy switch, leaving me in total darkness! Shaken as I was, I turned the battery holder a bit and all was back to normal... until it turned off again!
That's all there is for the bunker, which to be honest is a very short one, but I hope it's worth sharing anyway. Outside looks like this.
There is a history board outside on the road, written in both Chinese and imperfect English.
You'd never know what was there if you looked at the place from the road...
So there you have it. It's not the most interesting site on this island, but an itch needs to be scratched, and when it's within close distance of home there's no reason not to scratch it.
Best wishes as always,
TBM x
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