大湖小天母別墅

Locations

September 10th, 2025

Last updated February 5th, 2026

Little Tianmu Villas (小天母別墅) was developed by Jili’an Construction Company (吉利安建設公司) in a joint venture with local landowner Zhan Yigong (詹益恭). The county government issued a building permit in September 1993 and construction began with considerable fanfare. The project, taking its name from an upscale district in Taipei, promised 54 three-storey townhouses with underground parking, a rare luxury in rural Dahu. In late 1996 the county issued usage permits even though the structures were little more than concrete shells with no water or electricity.

Entrance to the complex from the street. No name appears above the gate.

Some residences appear professionally renovated, others use whatever materials were laying around.

The extent of the ruined community is quite impressive.

At the far end of the L-shaped courtyard.

Some effort has been made to make this area more habitable.

Most units are filled with discarded junk and debris.

Investigators later discovered that the developer had secured millions in loans using forged signatures of homeowners then transferred property titles to purchasers while pocketing the funds. Around 28 buyers found themselves saddled with mortgage debt for uninhabitable ruins. The landowner, having lost his family’s ancestral property to the scheme, reportedly died of depression in 2007, shortly before prosecutors raided the county building management office on suspicion of improperly issuing permits. The case made headlines that year, but attention faded and the legal disputes were never publicly resolved. The construction company has since been dissolved, leaving no one to complete the project nor fund its demolition.

The view from the third floor of one of the units around the bend.

Overlooking the complex from the rooftop. The view is quite serene.

I wonder what might be found behind this door?

Nowadays the complex remains mostly in ruin, although several units are now occupied, perhaps by the original owners doing what they can to recoup their losses, or perhaps by squatters who have taken advantage of the abandoned state of the project.

Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.

警告：此處已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並做好相關安全防護措施。