林口閃電大樓

Linkou Lightning Building

April 21st, 2017

Linkou Lightning Building (林口閃電大樓) is an infamous ruin not far from the newly-opened Taoyuan Airport MRT line in Linkou, recently named the fastest-growing district in New Taipei. Media reports often describe it as the Linkou Monster House (林口怪怪屋) and it regularly appears alongside the Longtan Yeshan Building and other examples of the genre. While I wish there were a good story to go along with these photos it sounds as if it is simply a failed construction project where nobody wanted to cover the cost of demolition until recently.

An Unfinished Skyscraper in Linkou — The raw outlines of the Linkou Lightning Building against uncertain skies.

Construction began in 1997 under stock market tycoon Wu Zuoqin (吳祚欽) with plans for a leisure complex. Work halted partway through when his conglomerate collapsed, and the half-finished tower was left to the wind and rain for the next two and a half decades. The ten-storey shell has only its left and right walls more or less intact; the front and back faces are open to the air, exposing the concrete floor slabs of each level. In early 2018 there were reports of a body hanging from the sixth floor, which turned out to be a styrofoam mannequin left as a prank, one of several such incidents that rattled nearby residents over the years.

Peering Into the Ruins of the Linkou Lightning Building — A peek through the fencing on the ground floor reveals that this place has seen many visitors over the years.

It wouldn’t have been too difficult to jump the chain-link fence and gain access to the interior but it would have been impossible to evade detection. This ruin is in the middle of a busy residential neighbourhood and plenty of people took note of my interest in this building. Since this place is already very well-documented—see these excellent and comprehensive photos or this video tour for more—I declined to make the attempt. Besides, I was pressed for time and bound for a more historic set of ruins: an old brick kiln further north.

A Bolt Out of the Blue — One last glance at the weirdest building in Linkou.

Naturally this well-known ruin has become popular with photographers and cosplayers. The location is also no secret; you’ll find it on Google Maps and Instagram, among other places. Alas, this building was finally demolished in 2022, but not before it served as the backdrop to a concert and light show.