An abandoned hotel at Wulai Falls

Wulai Qingpu Hotel 清瀑大飯店

While on a day trip to Wulai at the very end of 2013 I was delighted to stumble upon one of the most picturesque abandonments I have had the pleasure of exploring in Taiwan. Mere steps from the southern terminus of the Wulai Sightseeing Tram 烏來觀光台車 one will find a viewing platform across from Wulai Falls 烏來瀑布, one of the most scenic waterfalls in the greater Taipei area. What you might not realize—unless you have a sixth sense for all things abandoned—is that the viewing platform doubles as the rooftop of a derelict hotel with a rather stunning view.

Inside the abandoned hotel across from Wulai Falls
Debris litters the pockmarked floor of what must have once been the hotel lounge.
A delightful surprise at the base of Wulai Waterfall
A delightful surprise at the end of the tram ride.

I knew I would have to take a look the very instant I set eyes on the grimy stairwell descending from the viewing platform to parts unknown. Down I went, completely oblivious to the palimpsestic characters hanging over the boarded-up entrance. I have since then attempted to decipher the name of the place but it isn’t easily discerned. My best guess was Qīngqú Hotel 清渠大飯店 (literally “clear channel hotel”) but a reader wrote in the comments that it is actually Qīngpù Hotel 清瀑大飯店 (“clear waterfall hotel”) which makes a lot more sense. Surprisingly, not much seems to be written about this place in the Chinese language web from what I can tell.

Down on the ground floor
The ever-present mist accelerates the process of decay.
Wulai Falls in the winter gloom
Wulai Falls in the winter gloom.
Creeping up the stairs in Wulai
Creeping up the stairs. What treasures shall we find?

Without having any idea what I had found I was initially very puzzled about the purpose of the building. Unlike many abandonments in Taiwan this place had been cleared out, leaving me few clues to work with. My first guess was a bar or restaurant—the main room had a great view of the falls and was about the right size for dining. I found a kitchen soon thereafter, adding some support for this hypothesis.

A fertile place to decay
Looking out on the mountain valley surrounding the falls.
Peeling away the layers
The building is slowing coming undone.
Lighting up the kitchen on the second floor
What must have once been a kitchen on the north-facing side of the building.
An abandoned hotel at Wulai Falls
Wulai Falls from the main floor of an abandoned hotel.

It all became clear when I went back outside, turned the corner, and took a closer look at the rooms on the ground floor. These were obviously bedrooms, each with a private entrance and a nice view of the scenery. The rooms also connected with a corridor inside the building that was much too dark for pictures. This corridor was empty but provided access to some of the rooms that had been locked from the outside. In one such room I found the skull of what I believe is a cat—the last guest, evidently.

Entrance to a room at an abandoned hotel in Wulai
Downstairs, the private entrance to one of the hotel’s rooms.
Room 106
Room 106.
The last guest
The last guest.
Room with a view at Wulai Falls
Room with a view at Wulai Falls. Nothing much to see down here; the entire place has been cleared out.
Red marks the light switch
Blood red paint on the light switch deep inside the abandoned hotel.

I was left wondering about why such a place would be abandoned. Wouldn’t the retail value of a property fronting onto one of the most famous waterfalls in Taiwan prevent such an eventuality? I have learned in my many months of exploring Taiwan that there are countless reasons for abandoning a place, from prosaic to extraordinary. Someone could have died in one of these rooms, cursing the place, or perhaps the boss embezzled funds until the business was run into the ground. Maybe rent isn’t that high and the owners are waiting for the right offer to sell. It could be anything, really. Sometimes I can figure this stuff out from translating info I find on the web but not this time.

An abandoned hotel across from Wulai Falls
Abandoned at the base of the falls.

Whatever the case may be, only in Taiwan have I been able to arrive at star attractions with the expectation that I’d surely find something cool like this to explore. Oh, and perhaps I should mention that there’s a half-abandoned theme park and hotel above the falls too! But that’s the story for another post…

7 Comments

  1. Cool photos & commentary. Near the bottom of this page there is an old 1960s era photo of the Wulai waterfall village. Perhaps your building is one with the white HeySong advertisement on the roof?
    http://taipics.com/abo_wulai_waterfalls.php

  2. I’ve got about 50 more old Wulai pictures I will upload one of these days…. maybe good for future reference. BTW, here is another link….(from Michael Turton’s site last week) http://www.goteamjosh.com/photography – very nice Taiwan photography to enjoy if you haven’t seen it already. Cheers

  3. Hey, nice photo! the signboard is “店飯大瀑清”
    In chinese, the name is 清瀑大飯店. Very funny, it hard to find the history of the hotel in the internet.

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