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Nanxing Station was first established on April 20, 1901, in Shuijiao Village, Shuishang Township (today’s Shuishang Station). In 1910, to serve the newly built Nanxing Sugar Mill, the station was relocated to its present site. It was renamed Shuishang Station in 1920. The station building collapsed during the major earthquake of December 1941; reconstruction was completed in 1943, and the station was renamed Nanxing Station. Built of concrete in 1942, Nanxing Station features a recessed main entrance and a right-side restroom whose design amusingly complements the station itself. Inside, the waiting hall is entirely of timber: the ticket window, benches and windows—all wooden—have weathered into a quaint, antique charm after decades of use.

The station’s expansive yard still whispers of past glory. A siding once ran from the yard directly to the Nanxing Sugar Mill. Yet Taiwan Sugar Railways use 76.2 cm gauge, whereas Taiwan Railways use 106.7 cm. To let both systems share the same right-of-way, a three-rail track was laid: the outer rails accommodate Taiwan Railways freight cars, while the inner, narrower rails suit the sugar-mill locomotives. Many stations near sugar mills in southern Taiwan—Dounan, Dalin, Xinying, among others—had such three-rail layouts. Today, with the sugar industry faded, the little sugar trains have long ceased running, replaced by trucks.

Shuishang Township’s former prosperity is hinted at by the fact that “one township had three stations.” The booming business of the Nanxing Sugar Mill overloaded Shuishang Station, prompting the addition of Nanxing Station to ease the burden. Later, the opening of the Beihui coal mine created further transport demand, and Beihui Station was added; the bustle of those days is still fondly recalled by local elders.

This old station, witness to the rise and fall of the sugar industry, is the only one along the Chiayi section of the West Coast line that still retains its original appearance. Its nostalgic allure makes it well worth a visit.