Taipei Travel

During the 1910s, Japanese colonists erected a massive prison in Taipei and another one in Tainan as part of the move to suppress the anti-colonial uprisings that were intensifying across Taiwan. In a style common among 19th century correctional facilities worldwide, the now-defunct Taipei Prison featured cell blocks that radiate outward, and high walls made of stones up-cycled from the Taipei Prefecture bulwarks demolished in the 1910s. The prison wall is historically significant in part because they are composed of andesite and Qilian stone sourced during Emperor Guangxu’s reign from hillside quarries in Dazhi or Neihu, and transported to the shores of Keelung River; next they were shipped to the Hegoutou Wharf via Tamsui River by boat. The long-winding journey added to the worth of the wall.