Xihu Sugar Factory was built during the Japanese colonial era. After sugar production ceased in 2002, it was converted into a tourist park, retaining Japanese-style wooden factory buildings, sugar-production equipment on display, and a wooden narrow-gauge railway station. On weekends, a tourist train runs around the factory grounds. The early sugar-making machinery and historical material on the sugar industry preserved here give a complete picture of the rise and fall of Taiwan's sugar industry from the Japanese colonial period through the postwar decades, making this an important site for understanding the history of Taiwan's agricultural industrialization.
Highlights of Xihu Sugar Factory
The factory buildings combine Japanese-style red brick with timber framing. The roofs retain serrated sawtooth skylights — the typical form of Japanese colonial-era factory architecture. On display in the factory grounds are sugar-production equipment including cane crushers, evaporators, and centrifuges; some pieces are exhibited in place, allowing visitors to grasp the industrial scale of the sugar-making process. The wooden narrow-gauge railway station platform and tracks are fully preserved, offering a condensed view of the narrow-gauge (wufenche) sugar-railway culture.
The tourist train runs on the narrow-gauge (762 mm) track and departs at set times on weekends, completing a circuit of the factory grounds in about 20 minutes. Along the way, sugarcane fields and agricultural scenery are visible around the perimeter of the complex. The factory grounds have an ice cream stall featuring Taiwan Sugar ice cream — a product tied to many Taiwanese people's shared memories of sugar factories. A permanent exhibition on sugar industry history using text, images, and objects is also on site.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Visit
Practical Information
Getting There & Visiting Hours
- From Changhua Train Station, take a bus or drive to Xihu — about 30 minutes. The factory grounds have a car park. Check official announcements for detailed opening hours.
- The tourist train runs only on weekends; on weekdays only the factory grounds are open for walking. Confirm whether the train is running on the day of your visit before you go.
Nearby Connections
- Driving south from Xihu for about 20 minutes reaches Tianwei Flower Garden; the two sites can be combined into a central Changhua half-day itinerary.
- Xihu Township has local food options such as mutton hot pot; a convenient place for a meal after your visit.
Sources: Taiwan Sugar Corporation; Changhua County Tourism Bureau. Photos to be replaced with Dio's own shots.