"Ruins" attractions are booming—experience the navy’s White Terror era at the Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station

▲ The Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station (formerly the Navy Mingde Training Class) is a WWII-era military communications site. (Photo/IG@gui0725Provided, same below. Do not take photos without permission to avoid infringement.)

Reporter Cao Yuehua / Comprehensive report

Another "ruins" attraction in Kaohsiung is theFengshan Wireless Telegraph Station,which was one of Japan’s three major telecommunications stations during WWII and an important military base after the Nationalist government’s relocation to Taiwan. Covering 271 hectares, the site served as a wireless telegraph station, a Fengshan guesthouse, and the Mingde Training Class, carrying the heavy history of the navy’s White Terror. In recent years, it has opened to the public and become a filming location for the TV drama "The Longest Day in Chang’an" and the movie "Paradise in Service," attracting visitors for location shoots.

▲ A corner of the site.

The Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station (Navy Mingde Training Class) is located in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung, and can be reached on foot in 10 minutes from Exit 3 of Fengshan MRT Station. In the late 19th century, Japan built wireless telegraph stations in three locations—Funabashi near Tokyo, Fengshan in southern Taiwan, and Hinode in western Kyushu—to meet the long-distance communication needs of WWII.Fengshan was completed in 1919 after two years of construction, officially becoming Japan’s southernmost external communication hub, equipped with the most advanced communication equipment and technology of the time.

▲ Many buildings in the Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station are shaded by trees for defensive purposes. (Photo/IG@ping.liang0303Provided. Do not take photos without permission to avoid infringement.)

Initially built to meet the massive communication demands of war, the site entered the Fengshan Guesthouse period in the 1950s under the Kuomintang government, focusing on purging internal factions within the navy—the infamous navy White Terror. Secret interrogation units would arrest, interrogate, try, and imprison anyone found guilty of defecting to the communists, fleeing with ships, or criticizing the government. In 1976, it became the Mingde Training Class, responsible for disciplining unruly soldiers. After the training class was disbanded, the site was managed by the Kaohsiung Veterans’ Village Cultural Development Association.

▲ Red bricks are one of the hallmarks of Japanese architecture at the time. (Photo/IG@yuichi_sakProvided. Do not take photos without permission to avoid infringement.)

The strong Japanese aesthetic and the rarity of the architecture make the Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station unique. The site features Japanese red bricks and tiles throughout, and visitors can sense the tense atmosphere through structures like bunkers, air-raid shelters, gun emplacements, and prisons.

▲ The four-story main bunker remains well-preserved, with its weathered ruins becoming a must-visit photo spot. (Photo/IG@1.26__Provided. Do not take photos without permission to avoid infringement.)

Among the most distinctive features is the camp’s main structure, theMain Bunker, completed in 1919. Standing 12.3 meters tall (about four stories), it has been well-preserved and served as a storage site for communication equipment during WWII. Upon closer inspection, the bunker’s roof and sides are covered with thick vegetation to conceal it from enemies, while doors and windows were equipped with nuclear and biochemical attack defenses. Moreover, the interior was reinforced with steel plates for maximum protection. Today, the exterior remains intact, while the interior has been converted into an exhibition hall showcasing the history and characteristics of various periods.

▲ Interrogations often took place at the Fengshan Guesthouse during that period. (Photo/IG@yuichi_sakProvided. Do not take photos without permission to avoid infringement.)

Another highlight is the "Cross Radio Station" located on the hill behind the site, also known as the Second Transmission Station. Standing 9.5 meters tall, it served as a radio station during the Japanese occupation and before the Nationalist government’s arrival, transmitting military-related messages. The hillside area also features exhibits such as confinement cells, detoxification rooms, and solitary confinement cells for visitors to explore.

▲ Tourists pose with the heavily Japanese-style corridor and thick, defensive walls. (Photo/IG@yayun1107provided. Please do not reproduce them without permission to avoid infringement.)

For those who have the chance to visit Kaohsiung in the future and are interested in Taiwan’s military history, consider taking a trip to the Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station on the weekend to uncover the mysterious aura beneath this spectacular historic site. However, we would like to remind visitors that:If you are particularly sensitive, please consider whether to go. Additionally, the site is designed to evoke a sense of desolation like a ruin, and there are also glass shards on the ground, so bringing children is not recommended.

▲Visitors can experience the wartime atmosphere in this nearly century-old park. (Photo/IG@mini.825provided. Please do not reproduce them without permission to avoid infringement.)

Fengshan Wireless Telegraph Station (Navy Mingde Training Class)
Address: Shengli Road, Fengshan District, Kaohsiung City
Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00 every Saturday and Sunday
Admission: Free