Xihu Sugar Factory with a chilled and nostalgic vibe is a combination of culture, leisure and culinary delights. In addition to the well-preserved factory buildings and equipment such as giant chimney and evaporator tanks that bring out "steampunk" vibe, there are ancient steam locomotive and sugar train still running on the old railroad track, taking tourists on a nostalgic journey. Moreover, one of the old buildings is reused as an ice shop to sell popsicles and ice cream. On top of that, there are forest park, grassland, BBQ area and other facilities, making the sugar factory a famous attraction in Changhua.
Taiwan was once the largest sugar exporter in Asia, and the Xihu Sugar Factory was the one with the highest sugar production in Taiwan. Although its sugar manufacturing business was ended, its glorious history and century-old buildings are preserved. The government has sought to list it as a "World Industrial Heritage", showing its vast scale and charm.
Departure: Xihu Sugar Refinery
Destination: Xihu Sugar Refinery, round trip.
Driving distance: 7km roundtrip
Driving time: 1 hour
Xihu Sugar Factory was built in 1919 during the Japanese era with the name of Yamato Sugar Co., Ltd. (大和製糖株式會社). The factory was extended three times, and was renamed after Taiwan Sugar Corporation was founded in 1946. After its sugar manufacturing business ended in 2002, the plant together with its cultural assets are preserved and reused as a leisure tourism attraction, carrying historical and educational significance。
Xihu Sugar Factory includes 4 major areas: the Railway Culture Area that is a must-visit for railway fans, the Sugar Culture Area that includes attractive old factory buildings, the Outdoor Activity Area, and the BBQ Area that can hold over 100 people simultaneously.
The first thing in the factory that comes into the view is the giant 45-meters chimney, symbolizing the glory of Taiwan's sugar industry in the old days. Equipment such as sugarcane presses, boilers and evaporator tanks are retained in the factory with a guided tour offered. The huge gears with a diameter of 4 meters and the intricate pipelines of cogeneration system 汽電共生 give off a science fiction-style "steampunk" vibe.
Moreover, there are Visitor Center, Museum, wooden Sugar Train Stop, and Steam Locomotive Exhibition Hall. In old times, the track gauge of the railway dedicated to transporting sugar cane is 762 mm, half of the international standard railway track, as a result, the sugar train is nicknamed “Wu-fen” trains (五分車) or the mini-trains in Mandarin.
Visitors can take a small tourism sugar train to travel through the time tunnel. The steam locomotive, made in 1948 by the Belgian manufacturer, runs on a fixed schedule on weekends while the diesel locomotive runs at regular intervals on weekends and holidays. The train only departures according to its official announced timetable.
The turning point of the tourism sugar train was adjusted to Caopu Station (草埔站) in 2022 with a round trip of 4.26 kilometers and approximately 35 minutes. A guide is arranged for the tour to show and explain the scenery along the way, making it an unforgettable nostalgic journey.
Steam Locomotive Exhibition Hall exhibits the steam locomotives and related equipment last from the early years of Taiwan Sugar Corp. A beautiful lotus pond is located nearby.
Outdoor facilities, such as ecological pond, family grassland and heart clock, are set for visitors to feed fishes, play balls, enjoy Taiwan golden rain trees and cherry blossoms, and stroll into the green routes.
The ice shop of Xihu Sugar Factory is located on the west side of Zhangshui Road. Its popsicle and ice cream made from freshly squeezed milk are widely acclaimed and worth a try. Nearby, there are wooden buildings with a strong nostalgic vibe, which have come an instagram-worthy place after a variety of specialty shops stationed in, attracting many tourists to visit and take pictures.
