Healing robots emerge from flower bushes！ Scrap metal comes to life in the most heartwarming ways

Text & Photos /KUMA

What kind of rebirth can discarded iron parts achieve through creativity and ingenuity?

Amid blooming bougainvillea, a bear spots robots, a meteor cannon vehicle, and even the machine gun that Stallone forgot to take back. At the Iron Garden Labyrinth in Kaohsiung’s Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, you can see many works recreated from scrap iron—each exquisitely crafted, many with playful and interactive elements. The bougainvillea maze is especially something to look forward to when it blooms again.

Visiting the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery on a holiday afternoon, the streets and park are packed with visitors—it’s getting livelier by the day.

Walking along the palm-lined avenue, both sides feature artworks made from scrap iron. Under the shade of the trees, admire the installations while enjoying the cool breeze—it’s really hot this year.

The artwork “Red Worm,” made from a sugar refinery locomotive, has a distinct “Howl’s Moving Castle” vibe.

The “Drum Shadow Fugitive” humanoid installation lets everyone strike a cool and skillful pose in photos.

Taiwan Sugar’s self-created brand: Sugar^Painting... (Note: Original text appears cut off; translated as much as legible). It’s also quite popular at the ancient site, where you can visit early sugar refinery artifacts. Besides enjoying coffee in the historic building, there are also many early sugar refinery relics to explore inside.

Heading to the Iron Garden Labyrinth, but a bear friend led the wrong way—ending up at a factory area decorated with popsicle sticks, which was surprisingly adorable. The park preserves old sugar-making equipment, all with explanatory signs. Taking a slow stroll and admiring it all is quite nice.

Because of the wrong turn, we got to explore the “WWII Command Center Air-raid Shelter.” The narrow, dim passageway had a cool atmosphere.

Exiting the underground passage, we arrived at the Iron Garden Labyrinth. Seeing the bougainvillea shimmering in the sunlight put us in an amazing mood.

The other side of the park is also covered with colorful bougainvillea. Suddenly, we realized: bougainvillea and scrap metal really go well together. Though the flowers inside the park were past their peak bloom, those outside were still in full flourish.

The bear loved the peach-pink and white color combo, which looked refreshingly delicate against the blue backdrop.

At the Iron Garden Labyrinth in Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, visitors navigate a maze to admire ironwork art pieces. Beyond the fun of the maze, the surrounding installations are full of delightful surprises. The maze paths are divided by lawns and bougainvillea archways. When in bloom, you can also enjoy the flowers while walking through bougainvillea gateways.

Before entering the park, check out the types of scrap metal used at the entrance.

At the entrance, a reptile sculpture made from electrical room cooling blades looks super bouncy—you can even sit on it.

This is “Madagascar Four Plus,” equipped with owl-like night vision and a super slingshot, ready to shoot down any intruders to protect the century-old sugar refinery. Each artwork in the park has an explanatory sign detailing its inspiration and materials, with some even based on stories from the sugar refinery’s history.

This reptile sculpture is incredibly lifelike, radiating a sense of swift movement.

This is “Stallone’s Gun.” Stallone, famous for Rambo, came to Qiaotou Sugar Refinery before returning to the U.S. Because the ice cream was so delicious, he forgot to take his gun when packing souvenirs—and it’s been left here ever since. Besides the stunning artworks, the little creation stories are also fascinating. Next time you visit Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, don’t forget to take a photo with Stallone’s gun—climb up and let it give you a “rat-a-tat-tat” simulated spray, and don’t miss the scope.

With red pinwheels, the “Meteor Cannon Vehicle” was a key weapon against bandits during the Japanese colonial era. The description on the sign is quite amusing—definitely worth a read.

The tall structure ahead is the “Wishing Platform,” featuring three giant speakers that send wishes to the heavens. Stand before the spiral conveyor pipe, make a wish three times, and it’ll soar to the clouds for the right deity to hear.

The bear really likes the red brick house—older ones just have more charm.

The iron sculpture plaza, shaded by large trees, has a Stonehenge-like vibe.

A farming tool transformed into a flying machine—you’ve got to hop on and experience the thrill of flight.

The park has not only giant robots but also super cute small ones.

This is “TOM’s Locomotive.” June 31st is this train’s birthday. Since it goes home for gatherings, you won’t see it at the sugar refinery on that day—remember to plan around that.

Though the park isn’t huge, every piece is so finely crafted that it takes quite a while to fully appreciate—simply brilliant.

Next to the exhibits, old railway tracks hold a tram car.

Aside from the charm of the red brick walls at the back, the potted plants are adorned with iron chains, giving off a strong industrial vibe.

The sugarcane maze has a fresh batch newly planted, and an all-new maze is about to emerge.

The bougainvillea in front of the parking lot is spectacularly stunning.

I really love the Iron Garden Maze in Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, and I’m also looking forward to the establishment of the “Iron Art Creative Park.” Next time the bougainvillea blooms, I’ll come again to savor this creative work amidst the colorful flowers. I absolutely adore it—the combination of flowers and iron, soft yet strong, blending gentleness with firmness.


Attraction: Iron Garden Maze at Qiaotou Sugar Refinery
Phone: (07)611-3691
Address: No. 24, Tangchang Road, Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung City
◎ Qiaotou Sugar Refinery Official Website:Please click here
 

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