彰化街南郭派出所

July 5th, 2024

Changhua Nangao Police Station (彰化街南郭派出所) was built in 1930 on the south side of Changhua City. It was paired with an office of the hokō system of community policing (保甲聯合事務所) and enclosed in a courtyard. Both of these buildings survived the war and were repurposed for use by the new police force. The main station was renamed Minzu Road Police Station (民族路派出所), but streets have since been reorganized, and it is no longer on the road after which it was renamed.

Approaching the old Nangao Police Station in Changhua City.

The red globe over the entrance harkens back to the early days of Japanese policing in Taiwan.

A simple stone-washed exterior with rounded columns marks the entrance to the old police station.

A long-running battle over land use rights culminated in the early 2010s with a court ruling in favor of the original property owner. The police vacated the station sometime in 2015, and I happened to wander by a year later, while it was abandoned to the elements. The site has since been registered as a heritage property and will probably end up restored at some point in the future.

A glimpse inside the old station circa 2016. The original wooden rooftop can be discerned through the false ceiling.

Into the office of an old police station in Changhua City.

This old room was used as target practice prior to the police leaving the space. Pellet holes riddle the wall.

The stern appearance of the office from the street. Only a handful of these remain in central Taiwan.

More target practice around the side of the community policing station.

In 2020 the site was cleared of vegetation and turned into a small parking lot. Both buildings have been sealed with wooden boards and were presumably awaiting restoration. In 2025 the owner returned to demolish the remaining structures despite heritage status.

Note: this location has vanished. Any information presented here is only for reference.

提醒：此地點已消失，本文僅供參考用途。