After Tokyo Sugar Company (東京製糖株式會社) acquired Tongjingyuan Sugar Factory im 1939 the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) established a series of eight interconnected tunnels for the conversion of sugar into airplane fuel. The cave system continued to be used as an air raid shelter in the post-war era and was later abandoned. Bats soon occupied the tunnels and, in recent years, it has been tidied up and promoted as a rural tourist attraction. Bat Cave Trail (蝙蝠洞步道) traces the route of the old sugar railway spur line. Nowadays it is commonly known as the Old Air Raid Shelter Group (古防空洞群). Only one tunnel is readily accessible as of 2025 but it is best to not disturb the bats inside.
Map
Recorded On
Links
- HouseFun News (好房網News)
- Facebook: Zhou Liyang (周立洋)
Themes
- Japanese Colonial Era Taiwan (台灣日治時代)
- Urban Exploration in Taiwan (台灣城市探險)
- World War 2 History in Taiwan (台灣第二次世界大戰歷史)
- Sugar Industry in Taiwan (台灣糖業)
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Author
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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.