Qieding Jhuhu Saltworks Watchtower

茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓

Qieding Jhuhu Saltworks Watchtower

August 22nd, 2023

Taiwan once produced substantial amounts of salt through solar evaporation ponds scattered along the western coast from Lukang to Kaohsiung. At the southernmost extent of the range the former Kaohsiung Saltworks (高雄鹽場) operated out of two areas in the northwest: Wushulin Saltworks (烏樹林鹽灘) in Yong’an and Jhuhu Saltworks (竹滬鹽灘) in Qieding.

Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower (茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓) — The saltworks watchtower in context. Wetlands (and the former salt production area) is off to the right.

Jhuhu Saltworks was established between 1938 and 1942 after a chemical company purchased a number of fish farms and began flattening the land for use in salt production. Although production seemingly never began due to the war effort the area was still brought under the control of the state-owned salt company in the late 1940s.

Looking Up at Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower 茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓 — Looking up at the old watchtower.

North Side of Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower 茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓 — The north-facing side of the old watchtower.

West Side of Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower (茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓) — This side of the old watchtower would have faced the salt fields.

Salt banditry became an issue in the 1950s as the government relied on revenue from their monopoly on its production and sale. Consequently, the salt police built and manned a number of watchtowers along the margins of the major salt producing areas, including this one at Jhuhu Saltworks.

South Side of Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower 茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓 — Another look at the old watchtower.

Ground Level at Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower 茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓 — The watchtower at ground level.

Portholes on the Saltern Watchtower — A closer look at one of the portholes.

Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower 茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓 — The old watchtower in black and white.

The View From Cieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower 茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓 — The view from the old watchtower looking south.

The Former Jhuhu Saltern and Xingda Power Station — Gazing south across the wetlands from the site of the watchtower, Xingda Power Station on the horizon.

Cieding Aquaculture Vista — The landscape east of the old watchtower is entirely consumed by aquaculture ponds.

The salt monopoly ended in the late 1970s and this particular salt field went out of production in the 1980s. While most other watchtowers fell into disrepair and were either left to collapse or destroyed outright this one survived to the new millennium—the last of its kind in Kaohsiung. It was finally recognized for its heritage value and restored in the late 2010s.

Map

Details

Status:Public (公有)
Heritage designation:Historic Building (歷史建築)
Coordinates:

Recorded On

June 23rd, 2017

Links

Themes

Military Fortifications in Taiwan (台灣碉堡)
Salt Industry in Taiwan (台灣鹽業)

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.

Taiwan Summer Road Trip 2017: Taichung to Nantou
Dongping Tobacco Barn (東平菸樓)
Ganfeng Suspension Bridge (乾峰吊橋遺跡)
Puli Tuberculosis Sanatorium (埔里肺結核療養所)
Shuili Huye Temple (水里虎爺廟)
Postcards From Zhushan (竹山明信片)
Zhushan Kezikeng New Community (竹山柯子坑新社區)
Nanyun Gas Station (南雲加油站)
Postcards From Linnei (林內明信片)
Yixin Vocational High School (益新工商職業學校)
Postcards From Ershui (二水明信片)
Ershui Public Hall (二水公會堂)
Xizhou Theater (溪州戲院)
Xiluo Bridge (西螺大橋)
Xiluo Theater (西螺大戲院)
Xiluo Yisheng Theater (西螺一生戲院)
Postcards From Xiluo (西螺明信片)
Dingyuan Radio Station (雲林定遠電臺)
Beigang Theater (北港戲院)
Liujiao Brick Kiln (六腳磚窯)
Tainan Second Air Force New Village (台南二空眷村)
Qigu Saltworks Dingshan Watchtower (頂山鹽警槍樓)
Alian Theater (阿蓮戲院)
Qieding Jhuhu Saltworks Watchtower (茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓)
Suantou Sugar Factory (蒜頭糖廠)
Suantou Sugar Factory Shinto Shrine (蒜頭神社)
Shuangxikou Brick Kiln (雙溪口磚窯)
Wang De-lu Tomb (王得祿墓)
Xingang Fengtian Temple (新港奉天宮)
Hsin Kang Theater (新港戲院)
Dalin Wanguo Theater (大林萬國戲院)
Dalin Xinxing Theater (大林新興戲院)
Dounan Unfinished Building (斗南爛尾樓)
Xizhou RSEA Factory (彰化溪州榮民工廠)
Lingxiao Temple (凌霄殿)
Mingjian 921 Leaning Tower (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)

Backlinks

Qigu Saltworks Dingshan Watchtower (頂山鹽警槍樓)

Nearby Locations

Hunei Haipu Presbyterian Church (湖內海埔基督長老教會)—2.21 km
Hunei Haipu Theater (湖內海埔戲院)—2.42 km
Hunei Sanhou Gun Emplacements (湖內三侯砲堡群)—2.42 km
Qieding Theater (茄萣戲院)—2.65 km
Hunei Wenxian Theater (湖內文賢戲院)—2.76 km
Qieding Nantian New Village (茄萣南田新村)—3.09 km
Qieding Baishalun Gun Emplacement (茄萣白沙崙砲堡)—3.21 km
Hunei Taiye Su Family Residence (湖內太爺蘇家古厝)—3.50 km
Hunei Taiye Chen Family Mansion (湖內太爺陳家洋樓)—3.56 km
Zhuhu Huashan Temple (竹滬華山殿)—3.79 km
Wannian County Government Monument (古萬年縣治紀念碑)—3.82 km
Tomb of the King of Dongning (明寧靖王墓)—3.91 km

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