Construction halts at historic sugar factory for repairs

Taipei’s Department of Cultural Affairs promised to halt a construction project and restore a broken platform at the Sugar Refinery Cultural Park in Wanhua District after confirming that the platform, which dates back to the Japanese colonial period, was damaged.

The sugar mill began operation in 1911 as the only sugar factory north of Taoyuan. However, the once-busy factory ended operations after World War II, with its empty buildings and the run-down warehouses mirroring the decline of Taiwan’s sugar industry.

The department designated the three remaining warehouses a city monument in 2003 and turned the site into a cultural park.

The department invited Ming Hwa Yuan Arts & Cultural Group to promote traditional Taiwanese opera and allowed it to tear down a railroad platform last week for reconstruction.

The move sparked protests from residents who accused the group and the department of not protecting the historic site, and urged the Taipei City Government to stop any construction project.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chou Wei-you (周威佑) joined residents in lashing out at the city government for the damage to the monument after an inspection on Saturday.

“The city government and Ming Hwa Yuan are culture rogues. The platform is part of the historical factory and it is ridiculous that renovation projects that damage the structure can be allowed in there,” he said.

Wang Yi-chun, chief secretary of the culture department, said it had invited cultural heritage committee members to conduct an onsite inspection on Monday, and reached an agreement that the department should restore the original structure of the platform as soon as possible.

The department has already asked the Ming Hwa Yuan troupe to halt the construction, Wang said.

source: taipeitimes