SWEET INDUSTRY: SUANTOU SUGAR MILL

By Steven Crook Translated by Isabel Tsai

In the past few decades, Taiwan's economy has changed from one dependent on heavy manufacturing industry, to one based on technology and services. Industrial archeology--the study of disused factories and machines--is coming into its own as people rediscover the historical importance of landmark mines and mills.
A number of old factories have been converted into tourist attractions, including Suantou Sugar Mill, 15 kilometers west of Chiayi City. Sugar was especially important to Taiwan's economy in the 1950s and 1960s.

Suantou's mill started refining raw sugar in 1904, and was active until just a few years ago. It lives on today as the Jhetang Culture Park. It's easy to spend most of an afternoon here.
The inside of the mill is divided into two sections: One is open to the public; each crusher, roller, pulping vat, and boiler is labeled (in Chinese only). The other section is full of rusting machinery; fascinating for engineers, but probably best avoided for safety reasons.

The mill grounds are spacious and very pleasant. Some of the banyan trees look to be older than the mill; you'll see squirrels jumping from branch to branch.
Many visitors come to ride the Suantou Tourist Sugar Train--the only sugar train still in operation in Chiayi County. Until the 1990s, the Taiwan Sugar Corp. operated its own rail network, with about 900 kilometers of 762-milimeter-gauge track. The trains hauled sugar cane to mills throughout the south.

At Suantou, trains run from the station inside the compound (on the right as you enter the grounds) at least twice a day, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. On weekends and holidays, extra services are arranged according to demand. Tickets are NT$100 for adults, NT$80 for schoolchildren, and NT$50 for seniors, disabled, and others.

GETTING THERE
No public buses go to Suantou Sugar Mill. If you don't have a car, take a bus to Taibao, then a taxi. If you're driving, take Road 168 west from Chiayi, then take a side road--the mill is visible from some distance away, and not difficult to find.
The mill's address is 1, GongChang Village, Lioujiao Rural Township, Chiayi County. Tel: (05) 380-0741.