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Chi-Cheng Wood Industry Exhibition Hall

2025-09-02
886-4-92775669
南投縣水里鄉民權巷110-2號
Checheng was once prominent during the Japanese colonial period due to the transportation and trade of sugar, camphor, and timber, as well as the Japanese-led Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric project, which brought substantial manpower and resources. In 1958, Chairman Sun Hai of Chen Chang Hsing Ye, a leading forestry enterprise, secured logging rights to the Nantou Dan-da forest area, leveraging its convenient transportation and setting up a factory nearby in Checheng for domestic and international timber production. At its peak, the enterprise introduced over 2,000 jobs, creating a second golden age for Checheng and earning the region and nearby Shuishili the nickname "Little Taipei." Starting in the 1970s, government forestry policies shifted toward reforestation and land conservation, making sawmill industries for domestic and international markets unsustainable under a deforestation ban. Most factories faced closure or restructuring, particularly Chen Chang Hsing Ye, which primarily exported raw logs. After the sawmills became obsolete, the facilities were abandoned. To enhance tourism and recreation and provide a deeper understanding of past forestry development, the park management transformed a once-highly-prized industrial heritage site into the Checheng Forestry Exhibition Hall. Opened in June 2008, the exhibition hall enables visitors to grasp the historical prosperity of Taiwan's forestry operations. Notably, the original wooden structures are from the early 20th century, considered advanced designs in the 1950s. Rebuilding the exhibition hall adopted the concept of "overlaying old and new," preserving the old framework as part of the renovation, repairing the original wooden structure as an exhibit within the forestry creativity hall, and layering new wooden frameworks atop the old ones. This design creates a dynamic and visually complex interaction of old and new materials in the same space, offering a unique artistic experience and reflecting the progression of history and technological advancement. In the exhibition hall, visitors can revisit the 1950s sawmill scenes, explore diverse wood displays, and upon entering, immediately sense the distinct fragrances of various woods—much like being in a forest bathed in the benefits of phytoncides. A visit to the exhibition hall deepens one's understanding of Taiwan's forestry development.
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