Yunlin Travel: Jianguo Military Village

Travel Date: 2021/07/24

Things are improving in Taiwan, with fewer cases reported recently (around 20 per day, mostly in the North of Taiwan). In two days, the Level 3 restrictions are going to be lowered, allowing for more freedom. Today, after about 2.5 months, we returned to Huwei to visit my parents-in-law. Taking the opportunity to have some time alone, we drove around town to see what has changed. We visited the park near Huwei Sugar Factory and revisited Jianguo Military Village. The town didn't have many people, and not much has changed in the past few months. Some of the military houses are currently under renovation.

Jianguo Village Activity Center (建國一村活動中心)

Huwei Jianguo Military Dependents' Village, once the largest military village in Taiwan, is still in a state of disrepair. Perhaps due to limited resources, the progress of repairs has been relatively slow. Huwei Jianguo 1st Village now focuses on preserving and showcasing the military's cultural features, combining it with intellectual tourism and leisure activities to become a field for experiencing military life and culture. This includes military cultural museums, military-themed accommodations, food, and other leisure public services.

Huwei Jianguo Dependent Village is divided into three villages. The village was built during the Japanese occupation, with military-related buildings such as stables, warehouses, and medical clinics. Only a few buildings were constructed after the war. After the government took over, the village was divided into small compartments and used as dormitories, similar to student dormitories.

Huwei Air Force Base (虎尾空軍基地)

Huwei Air Force Base used to exist in Lianzhili, Huwei Town. Its original site has been transformed into various institutions, including National Huwei University of Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan High-Speed Rail, Yunlin Prison, Elementary School, and Yunlin County Government.

The Air Force Base was established in 1936. In 1944, due to the need for a large number of pilots in the Pacific battlefield, the Huwei Naval Air Force was transferred there to train flight trainees. In the same year, 260 out of 500 trainee flight trainees in Japan were assigned to Huwei for training. Also in that year, the US army began bombing the Huwei Sugar Factory (as the factory produced alcohol fuel) and the Huwei Base.

In 1945, due to equipment, fuel, and personnel exhaustion, the local area was unable to continue training courses. As a result, the Huwei Naval Air Force was disbanded. During its operations, a total of 23 1,000-pound bombs were dropped, causing severe damage to Huwei. The base was repaired and used until 1990. However, around 1994, the base was completely abandoned. With a decreasing number of officers and soldiers stationed there, and the population migrating and aging, only less than half of the population of Jianguo 1st and 2nd Villages remained compared to their heyday, and almost all residents were elderly. The land was later divided and used for building schools, the high-speed railway, a prison, a hospital, and other facilities.