According to many of the conservationists who signed the petition in November and continued to lobby for their cause, the residents may not know what is really at stake. The significance of the factory complex lies in part in its garden city space planning, in which factory employees were housed inside a factory complex where they enjoyed all the necessary amenities. At the turn of the 20th century, the Japanese decided to use the sugar plant as an experiment in social welfare.
"It is interesting that, under a colonial regime, Taiwan was at the forefront of the welfare trend. Whether you like the Japanese or not, it was part of Taiwan's past," said Tzeng Tzi-feng (曾子峰), dean of the graduate school of urban development and architecture at Kaohsiung University and a signatory of the petition. "With globalization, it's not commercial development but the preservation of local specialties that will make Chiaotou a more appealing place."
"History and geography courses in schools have made Taiwanese feel little for their hometowns," said Fu Chi-nan (傅志男), chief executive of the Kaohsiung City teachers' association's ecology education center and another signatory. "The site is not just composed of old trees and buildings, it signifies a unique period in industrial history and culture. It's sad that people make light of these things," Fu said.
Days before the Lunar New Year holiday, the society was told by the KMRT to tear down its tree houses. Members of the society refused.
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