A power transmission tower knocked on an angle by the devastating 921 Earthquake and left as a memorial to the disaster. Standing 40 meters tall and tilted 25 degrees northward, this Taiwan Power Company transmission tower (台電057號電塔) became an unexpected monument to the destructive power of the Chelungpu Fault (車籠埔斷層). There is a small park here and an informational plaque. It is officially known as Nantou 921 Earthquake Leaning Tower Memorial Site (南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地), and informally the 921 Leaning Tower Recreation Area (921斜塔遊憩區).
The leaning tower’s preservation was not without controversy. Initially, Taiwan Power Company sought to rebuild the tower due to safety concerns, particularly given its proximity to a gas station and nearby hydroelectric infrastructure. However, local authorities advocated for its preservation as a memorial, leading to extensive negotiations in late 1999. By January 2000, an agreement was reached to reinforce the structure while maintaining its tilted position.
The site was mostly overgrown and abandoned by the mid-2000s, but funds were allocated to develop a memorial park around the tower in 2007. A decade later, the township office added the prominent “Brilliant Mingjian” (亮麗名間) characters that now adorn the structure, illuminating them at night to act as a landmark for passing motorists.
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese(中文維基百科)
- Liberty Times(自由時報)
Visitation Log
Themes
- 921 Earthquake (九二一大地震)
- Energy Industry in Taiwan (台灣能源業)
Connections
Series: Taiwan Summer Road Trip 2017
In the summer of 2017 I borrowed a scooter to ride to a music festival in Nantou and only returned it several months later. It wasn’t a continuous road trip—I’d leave the scooter parked at various HSR stations as I slowly made my way around central and southern Taiwan—but each leg of the trip usually involved 3 or 4 days of riding. In the end I gathered enough material for 60 or 70 posts, only some of which have been published.
- Dongping Tobacco Barn(東平菸樓)
- Ganfeng Suspension Bridge(乾峰吊橋遺跡)
- Puli Tuberculosis Sanatorium(埔里肺結核療養所)
- Shuili Tiger Temple(水里虎爺廟)
- Postcards From Zhushan(竹山明信片)
- Zhushan Kezikeng New Community(竹山柯子坑新社區)
- Nanyun Gas Station(南雲加油站)
- Postcards From Linnei(林內明信片)
- Yixin Vocational High School(益新工商職業學校)
- Postcards From Ershui(二水明信片)
- Ershui Public Hall(二水公會堂)
- Xizhou Theater(溪州戲院)
- Xiluo Bridge(西螺大橋)
- Xiluo Theater(西螺大戲院)
- Xiluo Yisheng Theater(西螺一生戲院)
- Postcards From Xiluo(西螺明信片)
- Dingyuan Radio Station(雲林定遠電臺)
- Beigang Theater(北港戲院)
- Liujiao Brick Kiln(六腳磚窯)
- Dingshan Saltern Watchtower(頂山鹽警槍樓)
- Alian Theater(阿蓮戲院)
- Qieding Jhuhu Saltern Watchtower(茄萣竹滬鹽灘鹽警槍樓)
- Shuangxikou Brick Kiln(雙溪口磚窯)
- Hsin Kang Theater(新港戲院)
- Dalin Xinxing Theater(大林新興戲院)
- Lingxiao Temple(凌霄殿)
- Mingjian 921 Leaning Tower(南投九二一地震斜塔紀念地)
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Author
I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.