Meilun River Japanese Dormitories

A cluster of eight 1930s wooden military officer dormitories between Meilun River (美崙溪) and Meilunshan (美崙山), originally built for the Japanese army’s Hualien Port Detachment (花蓮港分屯大隊). During World War 2 the adjacent military camp was converted into a POW camp for high-ranking Allied officers, including the British commander of Malaya and the Governor of Hong Kong, and these dormitories housed the camp’s commanding staff. Locally known as Jiang Jun Fu (將軍府), the complex was slated for demolition in 2005 but preserved after advocacy from scholars and the local community. A major renovation under Hualien County’s Recreating Historical Scenes (再造歷史現場) initiative began in 2020 and the site is open to the public as of the mid-2020s and very popular with families and tourists.