Waipu Airfield

The former Waipu Airfield (外埔飛行場) is located in Fuxing, Changhua, on the southeastern side of historic Lukang. It was constructed in March 1943, part of a wave of airfield construction that coincided with the intensifying war effort. In the post-war period it was almost entirely dismantled and returned to farmland but several traces remain scattered across the plains.

Date CapturedMarch 14th, 2015 at 07:54 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 11Shutter Speed1/500 secFocal Length20.0 mmISO200Exposure Value15.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

US military maps identified this airfield as Rokkō Airfield, after the Japanese name for nearby Lukang, but the official name was probably Shōka Airfield (彰化飛行場). Local residents refer to it simply as Waipu Airfield after the name of a nearby village, which is how its modern name is derived. Some sources also gave it the provisional name Lukang Southeast Airfield (鹿港東南飛行場), but this has no basis in history. It is worth noting that there was another training airfield immediately to the west of Lukang, likely the actual site of Rokkō Airfield.

Date CapturedFebruary 28th, 2015 at 05:25 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 13Shutter Speed1/640 secFocal Length34.0 mmISO400Exposure Value16.7 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

The most prominent relics of this old airbase are a pair of specialized gun towers (防空降塔) originally located on either side of the main runway. They were built toward the end of the war to defend against allied bombing runs and paratrooper landings. The ruins of an old command and communications facility as well as another structure that might have been a bomb shelter can also be found in the vicinity.

Date CapturedFebruary 28th, 2015 at 05:27 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 11Shutter Speed1/500 secFocal Length40.0 mmISO400Exposure Value15.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Fanpo Village (番婆村) is home to the more widely-known of the remaining gun towers, which is sometimes referred to as Gǔpàotái (古砲台). It was located on the northwest side of the former runway. Although registered as a historic building in 2004 very little had been done to preserve or explain its function when I visited in 2015.

Date CapturedMarch 14th, 2015 at 07:42 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 11Shutter Speed1/500 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO200Exposure Value15.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

A second gun tower is located next to a small factory in Waipu Village (外埔村) proper, originally on the southeast side of the airfield. It is shorter than the other tower and built with a slightly different design, more squat and close to the ground. As with the other gun tower it would have been mounted with anti-aircraft defenses on top and the body of the structure would have stored ammunition.

Date CapturedMarch 14th, 2015 at 07:42 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 10Shutter Speed1/400 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO200Exposure Value15.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedMarch 14th, 2015 at 07:42 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 10Shutter Speed1/400 secFocal Length32.0 mmISO200Exposure Value15.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedMarch 14th, 2015 at 07:43 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 9Shutter Speed1/320 secFocal Length26.0 mmISO200Exposure Value14.7 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Apart from the relics remaining around the airbase the nearby Rixin Elementary School (日新國民小學) also features some murals related to the history of the area.