Dahu Fusheng Hospital

Date Captured January 29, 2026 at 07:34 UTC Camera DC-S5M2 Lens LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 Aperture ƒ / 6.3 Shutter Speed 1/320 sec Focal Length 20.0 mm ISO 100 Exposure Value 13.6  EV Original Size 3600 × 2400

Fusheng Hospital (傅生醫院) sits on a small hill on Yongle Street (永樂街) in Dahu, Miaoli. It was established around 1917 by Fu Bo (傅波, 1889–1938), a young doctor originally from Hukou in Hsinchu County. After graduating from the Taiwan Governor-General Medical School (台灣總督府醫學校) in 1916 and working briefly at a hospital in Taipei, Fu returned to the countryside at age 28 to open his own practice. He became a respected figure in the community and served on the township council. He died in 1938 and the hospital was abandoned shortly after.

Date Captured January 29, 2026 at 07:35 UTC Camera DC-S5M2 Lens LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 Aperture ƒ / 6.3 Shutter Speed 1/400 sec Focal Length 20.0 mm ISO 100 Exposure Value 14.0  EV Original Size 3600 × 2400

Date Captured January 29, 2026 at 07:34 UTC Camera DC-S5M2 Lens LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 Aperture ƒ / 6.3 Shutter Speed 1/320 sec Focal Length 20.0 mm ISO 100 Exposure Value 13.6  EV Original Size 3600 × 2400

The building features a U-shaped floor plan reminiscent of a traditional sanheyuan but with a Western-style façade. The rear wings have since collapsed, but the pebble-washed front of the building remains largely intact, the hospital’s name still legible above the entrance. In 1931, when silent films first came to Dahu, screenings were held in the forecourt, with local official Zhan Mingneng (詹明能) serving as benshi (弁士), narrating films for the audience. One of the films shown was the Chinese martial arts classic The Burning of Red Lotus Temple (火燒紅蓮寺). Given the building’s historic importance, it is perhaps surprising that it hasn’t been listed as a heritage site.