A must-visit for retro photos: the tobacco factory with an industrial vibe loved by hipsters

By / Scenic Spots Home compiled report
 
The “Super impressive！ 2019 Taiwan Design Expo” was packed and well-received from the start, and one of its highlights, the “Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Factory,” is a historic building that has survived from the Japanese colonial period, witnessing the development of Taiwan’s tobacco industry from the Japanese era through the 1970s and 80s. The photos taken here carry a retro charm, making it a very worthwhile place to explore.

The Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Factory was built in 1936, covering a total area of 4.2 hectares, even larger than Taipei’s Songshan Tobacco Factory. It retains a wealth of tobacco production equipment. The factory includes areas for tobacco destemming and processing, redrying, boiler rooms, Zhongshan Hall, tipping areas, packaging zones, and more, with a total of 24 reinforced concrete buildings and warehouses.

When Taiwan’s tobacco leaves were still under the monopoly of the Tobacco and Liquor Monopoly Bureau, the Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Factory accounted for 45% of the island’s monopolized tobacco production. Later, after Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization in 2002, it was restructured into the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, and the Pingtung Tobacco Leaf Factory was closed in the same year. In 2017, the entire factory complex was registered as a historic building, preserving a complete industrial cultural heritage.