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The Chia-yi Lumber Mill will be closed temporarily for improvement of facilities and landscape from December 30, 2023. The construction period is expected to be about 15 months. The reopening date will be announced separately. We apologize for the inconvenience. Source: The Chia-yi Lumber Mill was built in the third year of the Taisho era (1914) during the Japanese colonial period. It was the largest government-owned wood industry park in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. The mill was responsible for storing logs from Alishan and processing them into lumber. At its peak, it was renowned as the "first" in the East. The mill's layout included a power room, sawdust room, office, machinery factory, drying room, and hand-weaving factory. Notably, the power room on the left side of the entrance was the first steel-reinforced concrete building in Chia-yi and also the earliest thermal power plant in the city. Over a century ago, Chia-yi was famous for its mechanized lumber industry, which relied on electricity. However, at that time, only a few areas in Taiwan had access to electricity. In 1911, a private "Chia-yi Electric Lamp Company" was established to supply electricity for streetlights and some households using gas engines. However, the lumber mill's demand for electricity was much higher. Therefore, it had to generate electricity independently, leading to the establishment of the power room. The machinery factory and power room were adjacent to each other. By examining their spatial layout and historical evolution, one can understand the rise and fall of the lumber industry over the past century. The first-generation lumber mill began operations in 1914. Part of the building was a three-story structure, while the rest was a two-story reinforced concrete building equipped with advanced machinery imported from the United States. The mill's grandeur and high efficiency drew frequent visits from the Japanese royal family and people from all over the world. Unfortunately, the factory was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1941. The second-generation lumber mill was built after the earthquake. It was a large-span wooden structure built entirely using Alishan cypress as the material, which was highly distinctive. As government forestry policies changed and conservation awareness increased, the Alishan forest area stopped logging. Although the Chia-yi lumber industry once made the city a national wood production and sales center, earning it the title of "Wood City," its glory has faded. However, the factory's structure remains intact and has cultural asset value. The Chia-yi Forestry Bureau plans to develop the area into an "Alishan Forestry Village," connecting the Hinoki Forest Village, Chia-yi Railway Park, Lumber Mill, and Forest Song. Following the image of the "Wood City," they aim to create a tourist attraction with unique local historical and cultural characteristics, promoting the development of the wood culture tourism industry.