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The history of Huashan 1914 Creative Park is a long tale of changing names. During the Qing Dynasty the area’s original name was Toa-tek-ui (Dazhuwei), in the village of Sam-pan-kio (Sanbanqiao). In 1922, the Japanese governor-general’s office changed the name of the old neighborhood to Kabayama Cho in honor of Sukenori Kabayama, the first Japanese governor-general of Taiwan. The name Huashan is derived from the kanji for Kabayama. Kabayama Cho, which included Taihoku City Hall (where the Executive Yuan is located today), Kabayama Freight Station, Taihoku Wine Factory and other government organizations, was a district planned and developed by the Japanese-era Taihoku City Planning Office. The Kabayama Freight Station was added to Kabayama Cho in 1940 during the rebuilding of Taipei’s main railway station, and a railway spur serving Taihoku Wine Factory was laid. When the ROC took over, Kabayama was renamed to Huashan, its current name.
As for the buildings and installations now visible at Huashan 1914 Creative Park, in a past life they belonged to the Yoshi Brewing Co., built in 1914 by the Japanese. This firm’s chief product was sake, and they pioneered the use of cold storage manufacturing to overcome climate problems during production. At the time it was one of Taiwan’s largest winemaking facilities, employing 400 people. In 1922, the director-general’s office enacted an alcohol monopoly system via the Taiwanese Spirits Monopoly Directive. The land was leased at first, and after that it was officially purchased; the name was changed to Taihoku Winery, Taihoku Monopoly Branch Bureau. In 1924, the Taihoku Monopoly Bureau dissolved the Taihoku Monopoly Branch Bureau, and the winery was renamed to Taihoku Wine Factory, Taiwan Governor-General’s Monopoly Bureau, switching production to rice wine and redistilled spirits.
In 1945, the ROC government took control after the close of World War II, and the factory’s name was changed to Taipei Wine Factory, Taiwan Province Monopoly Bureau. In 1949, after the formation of the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau, the name was changed yet again, to Taipei First Winery, Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau. In the early years, their low-priced cassava liquor became a favorite among everyday consumers. Starting around the mid-1950s, rice wine production gradually increased, and the factory, complying with government policy, developed a variety of fruit wines, earning it the moniker “Fruit Wine Factory” and inaugurating the golden age of the factory. In 1975 it was renamed once again, this time to Taipei Wine Factory, Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau (or just Taipei Wine Factory), a name that endures to this day.
The total area of Huashan is currently 7.21 hectares, and the buildings in the park illustrate the characteristics of Taiwan’s winemaking industry history as it progressed; these give it special value and significance. This microcosm of the winemaking industry is not only closely linked to the lives of the general public, but also bears witness to the history of Taiwan’s alcohol monopolies from the Japanese period to the ROC era. The cluster Japanese winemaking buildings currently preserved in Huashan Park form a museum of the architectural methods used in the industry; construction techniques and workmanship of different periods and purposes give meaning to the architectural history of this place. And because it’s located in such a fine stretch of the city center, it’s significant as an index of the city’s overall development.
But with economic development, skyrocketing land prices and troublesome water pollution problems associated with winemaking, this centrally located winery bought land in Linkou at the recommendation of Taipei urban planners, and set up a new factory there. On April 1, 1987, the Taipei Wine Factory moved to Linkou Industrial Park, and the story of winemaking at Huashan came to a close.
In 1997, members of the Golden Bough Theatre drama troupe found their way into the abandoned factory and started giving performances there, but they were charged with trespassing on government property. People from the arts community voiced their support and rallied together to fight for the right to reuse the Taipei Wine Factory, which had lain idle for a decade, and turn it into a versatile space for art performances. In 1999, following negotiations with the Provincial Government’s Cultural Affairs Department (CAD) and the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau, the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau commissioned the CAD to take management of the old winery, which in turn transferred management to the Association of Culture Environment Reform. The Taipei Wine Factory’s name was formally changed to Huashan Arts District, and it became a venue for creative use by individuals, the arts community, and non-profit organizations.
After the downsizing of the Taiwan Provincial Government, management of the Huashan Arts District was transferred to the CCA. For a short time, it was operated by L’Orange International Art Consultants Co., which on top of giving avant-garde art exhibits also introduced design, pop music and other events.
The CCA began planning for the revitalization of this abandoned winery in 2002. To resolve the long-standing disputes involving performance rights and public use rights at Huashan, the area was designated a Cultural and Creative Industries Park: a special place for promoting such industries. Later, the grounds were fenced off for a year of restorative work, and at the end of 2005 Huashan 1914 Creative Park, including the old factory and the park area, was reopened and offered to the art community and local residents for use. Modifications to the surrounding landscape continued to be carried out thereafter, building it into a cultural and creative park including greenery, design workshops and art exhibition center, with the aim of elevating domestic design capabilities and residents’ aesthetic sense, as well as providing a place for artists to learn from each other, exchange ideas, and promote and sell their work.
In February 2007, the CCA formulated a Rehabilitate-Operate-Transfer scheme for Huashan Park as a model for advancing civic participation, and park management rights were given to Taiwan Cultural-Creative Development Co., Ltd the following December.
(Source: Ministry of Culture) |
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By MRT:
Take the Bannan (Blue) Line to Zhongxiao-Xinsheng Station, leave by Exit 1 and walk about 3 minutes; or leave from Exit 6 of Shandao Temple Station and walk about 5 minutes.
By bus:
Neighboring bus stop and routes
Zhongxiao Elementary School bus stop: bus No. 232, 232 (Sub Line), 605, 605(Sub Line), 605 (Xintai 5th Line), 665.
Huashan Park bus stop: bus No. 669.
National Audit Office bus stop (Zhongxiao E. Road): bus No. 205, 232, 232(Sub Line), 262 (local), 276, 299, Zhongxiao New Main Line.
By car:
The park offers 24-hour parking services: NT$30/hr on weekdays, and NT$50/hr on weekends and holidays. |