Sanzhi UFO Houses Featured in International Media: Daily Mail Calls Them "Futuristic"

By Rita

When it comes to the Sanzhi UFO Houses, every Taiwanese knows about them, though many may have gradually forgotten... For many tourists, just a few years ago, a trip to the northern coastline wasn’t complete without making a special detour to take a look. In 2008, the county government’s Public Works Bureau demolished the houses citing safety concerns. This sparked an intense online outcry demanding “at least one house be preserved as a memorial,” with critics accusing the demolition of reflecting “the government’s ignorance toward both grassroots and pop culture.” The debate raged on. But years later,the British Daily Mailhas recentlyreportedon the structure again, calling it “futuristic,” perhaps highlighting how these UFO Houses have become one of the international impressions of Taiwan.

▲ Sanzhi UFO Houses (Photo / Wikimedia Commons, same below)

Perhaps not many know what the original purpose of the UFO Houses was. Construction began in 1978, and they were initially intended to be a holiday resort for American soldiers. The ghost stories might be related to the site’s history—it was once a “Dutch soldiers’ cemetery,” or alternatively, an ancient execution ground. During construction, there were also multiple engineering accidents, suicides, and car crashes.

In the 1980s, due to the developer’s financial difficulties, the UFO Houses project came to an abrupt halt and was subsequently abandoned.

However, these heavy stories surrounding the UFO Houses have been given a fresh interpretation by foreign media.“As a passionate documenter of man-made landscapes, the UFO Houses are really super cool!” said Gem, a Filipino real estate administrator. “The colors, the retro-futuristic style—the designer was very bold. As for their decay, I’ve heard all kinds of stories from people.”

The capsule-like shape may seem a bit out of place today, but it was actually very popular in the 1980s. However, it seems the high price made it unappealing to buyers. “Perhaps the era was wrong, the target market was wrong, and the developer’s experiment was doomed to fail—but that doesn’t diminish people’s curiosity about it.”

%肌睹咳沼时ā繁ǖ继ㄍ宸傻?荩?ǖ贾懈酱?艘韵掠捌?＞?橹び捌?谌萦ξ?棒浯渫逄?樟徵缥荨保?伤凳潜焙０兜谝淮?傻?荩??Ψ潜ǖ贾械娜?デ乘?宸傻?荨＜/strong>