Puli Monopoly Bureau Branch Office

Date CapturedJune 23rd, 2026 at 10:23 UTCCameraDC-S5M2LensLUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6Apertureƒ / 4.5Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length27.0 mmISO100Exposure Value11.3 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Built around 1924, this was the branch office (出張所) of the Government-General’s Monopoly Bureau (專賣局) in Puli, Nantou. After camphor was brought under state monopoly in 1934 this office also administered its production and distribution, by which point Puli accounted for more than fifteen percent of Taiwan’s camphor output, and the staff grew to some seventy workers. The institutional Matsukusu Shrine once stood in its courtyard. Following the war the office passed to the Taiwan Provincial Monopoly Bureau and was eventually folded into the neighbouring Puli Winery. The building was later leased for commercial use and reopened in 2022 as a themed tourist attraction (山喜色出張所故事館), but it has stood largely vacant since around 2023.