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Houtong Shrine was founded in 1934, during the Japanese colonial period, and was dedicated by Li Jianxing, founder of the Ruisan Mining Company, and four others, leading the “Ruisan Mining Industry Public Service Corps.” In the Japanese era, Houtong was Taiwan’s top coal-producing mine for many consecutive years, a vital source of industrial fuel that steadily swelled the local population. In the late Shōwa period, amid World War II, the Japanese government promoted the Japanization campaign to assimilate the populace, and the shrine was erected as part of that effort. Climbing the “Houtong 100 Steps” approach, visitors are immersed in a distinctly Japanese atmosphere that almost feels like stepping into Japan; on the torii gate the word “dedicated” is still clearly visible, a weather-worn echo of history.