Minister of Culture Shih Che visited Yunlin County’s cultural heritage sites, including Douliu Zehnyi Temple (斗六真一寺) and Huwei Sugar Refinery dormitory complex (虎尾糖廠宿舍群), on Aug. 26. Minister Shih said that in recent years, the Yunlin County Government has been actively planning and promoting various cultural construction projects and cultural asset preservation, stressing that the Ministry of Culture fully supports the local government. Since 2016, the MOC has subsidized Yunlin County for its tangible heritage assets with funds totaling NT$930 million from the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
Designated as a county-level historical site in 2010, Zehnyi Temple is the oldest Zhaijiao (齋教, a Chinese folk religion) temple in Douliu City. The century-old temple preserves traditional crafts such as woodwork, trencadís, Cochin ware, clay sculpture, and painting. The temple’s architectural decoration is of great artistic value, but due to a lack of proper maintenance over the years, there is an urgent need to repair the main building and its paintings.
Upon the completion of the NT$90.52 million restoration, guided tours and cultural activities will be held at the historical site, allowing the public to experience the tranquil atmosphere of the sacred religious space and traditional folk culture.
Registered as Yunlin’s historical buildings in 2009 and 2015 respectively, the director and staff dorms of the Huwei Sugar Refinery and the Refinery’s dormitory complex—No. 2 and No. 4 on Minzhu Ninth Road (虎尾糖廠宿舍群－民主九路2號、4號) were subsidized with NT$35.89 million for the restoration project.
The Huwei Sugar Refinery is currently one of the two sugar factories in Taiwan that are still in operation. The past industrial machinery and equipment still remain on the site, and the techniques of the sugar industry as well as the factory buildings and surrounding communities are well preserved.
Mentioning that the Huwei Sugar Refinery is planning to integrate industrial manufacturing and cultural open spaces, Minister Shih hopes the refinery will become a living museum not only for exhibitions but also for regional revitalization.