台中鯊魚墳場

August 30th, 2016

Taichung Shark Cemetery (台中鯊魚墳場) is an unlikely roadside attraction near Tunghai University (東海大學) in Xitun, Taichung. There is no great mystery here—a nearby restaurant and banquet hall by the name of Tong Hai Fish Village (東海漁村) dumped a bunch of junk in this farmer’s field sometime prior to 2009, and since then it has become a popular place for young Taiwanese to visit and take photos.

Discarded sharks in a field near Donghai University in Taichung.

The shark cemetery is essentially a pile of junk in a farmer’s field.

The cast-off remnants of a nearby restaurant and banquet hall have been laying in this field for close to a decade.

Usually I have a lot to say about the abandoned places I visit in Taiwan but not this time. I appreciate the absurdity of the scene but there is nothing unknown about the shark cemetery, no deeper meaning to elucidate. These are merely the cast-off remnants of a business that didn’t bother to clean up their mess.

The many years have taken their toll on this weathered junk; by now not much remains.

There are many yellow fairies laying around but let’s not kid ourselves—we’re here for the sharks!

It is the human dimension of this place that I found most interesting. Apart from myself there were another ten or so people lining up for their turn to take photos here on the vibrant orange soils of the Dàdù Plateau (大肚台地). Mostly I wondered why no enterprising local had setup a stall to sell umbrellas, sun protection, snacks, and drinks near the entrance. Clearly this place is famous!

One last look at the shark cemetery in black and white.

For more photos from the shark cemetery try the unofficial Facebook page or the relevant Instagram hashtag and location feeds for plenty of examples. Taiwanese photographer Greenset also has perhaps the most authoritative image gallery around. And for something arguably more interesting in the area have a look at my post about anti-airborne fortifications.