Former Tainan Waterworks

 Address:Geographical location : No.16, Shanshang, Shanshang Dist., Tainan City Longitude : 120.363149556141, Latitude : 23.0992038218762
 Subject:AssetClassification : Historic Monument, AssetsLevel : National Historic Monument, Asset Type : Industrial Facilities

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【Introduction】

The former Tainan Waterworks was originally known as Shanshang Water Purification Plant. The Japanese phrase for waterworks, suidou, means tap water supply. The waterworks were important facilities for enhancing sanitation, purifying drinking water and channelizing groundwater in a city. During the Japanese colonial period, the first waterworks was built in Tamsui in the 29th of Emperor Meiji (1896) under the suggestion of Burton, a British hygiene consultant. Other waterworks in Keelung and Taipei were built consecutively. The construction of Tainan Waterworks, schemed and supervised by the technician Hamano Yashiro, began in the 1st Year of Emperor Taisho (1912). However, it was halted due to the breakout of World War I; then, it resumed and was completed in the 11th Year of Emperor Taisho (1922). Tainan Waterworks stands as a highly valuable asset as a testament to the development of Tainan’s water supply and the modernization of public health engineering. The headwaters for Tainan Waterworks were sourced at the Shanshang district in the area of present-day Tainan City. The facilities were spread over three areas. The first area housed the main office as well as pumping and filtering equipment. The second was the sedimentation zone, and the third a purification unit. The buildings were all built in Western style; amongst them the most striking being the filter room and the main office. Both are British-style brick architecture with round arches and double-sloping roofs. The Western-style trusses inside the buildings are known for their intricate beauty.

 

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