Spectral Codex
南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地

Mingjian 921 Leaning Tower

Locations

A power transmission tower knocked on an angle by the devastating 921 Earthquake and left as a memorial to the disaster. Standing 40 meters tall and tilted 25 degrees northward, this Taiwan Power Company transmission tower (台電057號電塔) became an unexpected monument to the destructive power of the Chelungpu Fault (車籠埔斷層). There is a small park here and an informational plaque. It is officially known as Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地), and informally the 921 Leaning Tower Recreation Area (921斜塔遊憩區).

Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 9
Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Entering the recreation area in front of the leaning tower.
Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
DC-S5M2
Lens
LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6
Aperture
ƒ / 6.3
Shutter Speed
1/250 sec
Focal Length
22.0 mm
ISO
100
Exposure Value
13.3 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Checking the angle the leaning tower.
Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
DC-S5M2
Lens
LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6
Aperture
ƒ / 4.5
Shutter Speed
1/500 sec
Focal Length
28.0 mm
ISO
100
Exposure Value
13.3 EV
Download
2400 × 3600
Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
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
Download
2400 × 3600
Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
DC-S5M2
Lens
LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6
Aperture
ƒ / 5.6
Shutter Speed
1/200 sec
Focal Length
27.0 mm
ISO
100
Exposure Value
12.6 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Quite a lot of subsidence took place here!

The leaning tower’s preservation was not without controversy. Initially, Taiwan Power Company sought to rebuild the tower due to safety concerns, particularly given its proximity to a gas station and nearby hydroelectric infrastructure. However, local authorities advocated for its preservation as a memorial, leading to extensive negotiations in late 1999. By January 2000, an agreement was reached to reinforce the structure while maintaining its tilted position.

Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D5200
Lens
AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED
Aperture
ƒ / 4
Shutter Speed
1/60 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
250
Exposure Value
9.9 EV
Download
3600 × 3600
Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 8
Shutter Speed
1/250 sec
Focal Length
22.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.0 EV
Download
2400 × 2400
Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D5200
Lens
AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED
Aperture
ƒ / 3.8
Shutter Speed
1/60 sec
Focal Length
24.0 mm
ISO
250
Exposure Value
9.8 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
A parting glance at sunset. Look closely and you’ll see the characters mounted on the tower read “Brilliant Mingjian” (亮麗名間).

The site was mostly overgrown and abandoned by the mid-2000s, but funds were allocated to develop a memorial park around the tower in 2007. A decade later, the township office added the prominent “Brilliant Mingjian” (亮麗名間) characters that now adorn the structure, illuminating them at night to act as a landmark for passing motorists.

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  • Status:Public (公有)
  • Coordinates:

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Series: Taiwan Summer Road Trip 2017

In the summer of 2017 I borrowed a scooter to ride to a music festival in Nantou and only returned it several months later. It wasn’t a continuous road trip—I’d leave the scooter parked at various HSR stations as I slowly made my way around central and southern Taiwan—but each leg of the trip usually involved 3 or 4 days of riding. In the end I gathered enough material for 60 or 70 posts, only some of which have been published.

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Author

Profile photo of Alexander Synaptic, founder of Spectral Codex
Alexander Synaptic
Curator, Spectral Codex

I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.

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