By Jung Fang-Jay Translated by Kevin Lax

     Japan believed that Taiwan would be a permanent colony, and accordinly put a great deal of effort into infrastructure development in the island's cities. Many of Taiwan's present public amenities were actually established in the colonial era, Tainan's Meteorological Station being one.

     As early as 1896--the year after Japan took over Taiwan--the colonial authorities planned meteorological stations for Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Hengchun and the Penghu Islands. This was a landmark in weather monitoring in Taiwan. The Tainan station was built in 1897. Most of the other weather installations were demolished long ago, meaning the structure is historically valuable as one of very few Japanese-era weather stations remaining. The building is also worth preserving because of its architectural significance.

     The building was designed with its function in mind. It looks very special from the outside, having a round tower in the middle which locals dubbed the "pepper pot."

     Because of the dilapidated state of the building, an architect specializing in old buildings has been commissioned to carry out restoration work. The recently completed Southern Meteorological Center, which will have south Taiwan's first weather museum, with an exhibition center and observation station, will be open to the public soon.

     The renovated Tainan Meteorological Station can be found at 21, GungYuan Road, near the National Museum of Taiwan Literature.