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The Dalin Sugar Factory is located beside Provincial Highway 1, and its prominent, century‑old, giant chimney at the Taiwan Sugar Biological Technology Center can be seen from a distance. During the Japanese colonial era, the Japanese government planned to develop a large‑scale sugar industry in Taiwan. In the third year of the Taishō era (1924), the Dalin Sugar Factory was established, attracting a large influx of people, which led to Dalin being called an “immigrant area.” During the heyday of Taiwan’s sugar industry, the Dalin Sugar Factory stimulated local small and medium enterprises, making Dalin the most economically prosperous and culturally refined area in Chiayi County. At its peak, it also became an important spiritual symbol in the hearts of local people.

With the decline of Taiwan’s sugar industry, the Dalin Sugar Factory was merged into the Beigang Sugar Factory in 1992 (the 81st year of the Republic of China), becoming the Dalin plant of Beigang Sugar Factory. In 1986 (the 85th year of the ROC), the Dalin Sugar Factory officially ceased production, and its personnel and equipment were transferred to Beigang Sugar Factory’s jurisdiction. Part of the plant area was converted into a biotechnology company’s production line, while the majority of the facility was retained. Today, apart from tourists and visitors buying ice and shopping at the sales center, the Dalin Sugar Factory remains very quiet on ordinary days.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Taiwan’s sugar industry played an important role in economic development. The 3,000‑mile railway network built by Taiwan Sugar Railway solved the island’s trade and communication problems at the time, illustrating the pivotal position of the sugar industry in Taiwan’s history. To preserve the remaining cultural relics of Taiwan’s sugar industry, the Chiayi Forestry Administration provided an ancient steam locomotive and a “Pingu 6203” passenger carriage from Taiwan Sugar, displayed inside the current Dalin Sugar Factory. Coupled with lush grasslands, historic Taiwan Sugar employee dormitories, and other heritage sites, visitors can clearly see the traces of Taiwan’s sugar industry throughout history.