A historic Japanese-era rice plant in Pingtung County is to get a new lease on life after a hotel group announced plans to turn it into a “culturally inspired” coffee shop.
The De Sing Rice Milling Plant in front of the train station in Jhutian Township (竹田) has sat idle for the past 20 years, but the 74-year-old building holds a special place in locals’ hearts.
A Taiwanese hostel operator, Yamato, has taken on the task of restoring the building, expressing a particular attachment to Japanese-era architecture.
Yamato is converting the plant into a cafe, scheduled to open later this month, that it says will combine elements of local culture.
In its early years, Jhutian served as a distribution center for rice, and the plant had various names that referred to its function, such as “Arranged Goods” and “Rice Storehouse,” until it was officially named De Sing Rice Milling Plant in 1942.
During the Japanese colonial era, De Sing was an important large-scale milling plant, remaining in operation even after World War II, until it was closed 20 year ago.
Since then the building has slowly deteriorated.
In 2001, local artist Lee Ming-ze (李明則) applied to the A-mi Artists Community to paint a mural with a theme of cultural diversity on the plant’s outer walls.
“The plant is private property, so none of the old machinery and wooden instruments could be kept in place. Only the mural on the outer wall remains to remember the plant’s history,” Jhutian Township Warden Fu Min-hsiung (傅民雄) said.
“When residents saw craftsmen working in the plant recently, they were worried that the building was going to disappear along with the mural. Naturally, they were happy to find out about the fortunate investment in the building by Yamato,” Fu said.
Yamato manager Lai Yuan-feng (賴元豐) said that a lot of historic buildings face a bleak future, since the government has limited funds for their preservation.
“If an old building is able to sustain itself, then its life can be extended,” he said. “Last year, Yamato turned old Japanese barracks on Pingtung City’s Cingdao Street into the Yamato Cafe. This year we are taking our efforts to Jhutian, where we hope to use our experience and ideas to see the rebirth of another historic building.”
Lai said he hopes that by promoting local art and culture he can entice young people back to the community, turning Jhutian back into the gathering spot it once was.
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