aeeble

The last station renovated during Japanese rule, Dou-nan Station, was established in the 36th year of Meiji and was originally named Taribo Station. Toward the end of World War II it was rebuilt as a brick station building—the final railway station reconstructed in Taiwan under Japanese rule. In earlier years, sugar produced by the Hu-wei Sugar Factory was all shipped via the sugar-industry railway to Dou-nan, then distributed south-north along the main line to ports for export. Dou-nan Station was first called Taribo. When the railway between Chiayi and Taribo opened on 15 December 1903 (nine years before the Republic of China), a simple wooden station building was erected on the present site. On 1 October 1920, local administrative reform changed “Taribo” to “Dou-nan.” In March 1945 (the 34th year of the Republic) the station was rebuilt as a brick structure with slanted roofs in palatial style. The main body is a long volume forming gabled roofs of varying ridge heights; the hall has a double-eaved design, its upper part composed of four sloping roofs, the lower eave projecting to create a veranda. In the late Japanese period, reinforced-brick construction with concrete became common. With wartime material shortages reducing the number of buildings, façades grew simpler. Thus Dou-nan Station features reduced ornamentation, clean geometric lines, and plain corner moldings. Its straightforward architecture contrasts sharply with buildings of other eras. The station hall’s double-eaved form, upper four-sloped roof, and outward-projecting lower eave forming a veranda strongly express Japanese style and merit preservation.