Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi County turns 105, opening up new value for forestry culture

The Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi County is 105 years old! To celebrate the long-standing contribution and cultural significance of this national-treasure mountain railway, the Chiayi Forest District Office of the Forestry Bureau held a celebration at Beimen Station. Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien, Chiayi City Mayor Tu Hsing-che, Chiayi County Deputy Magistrate Wu Fang-ming, Legislator Lee Chun-yi and other distinguished guests attended the event. Eight guests from Japan's Oigawa Railway, which has maintained a sister-railway friendship with the Alishan Forest Railway for 32 years, came from afar to offer congratulations, adding luster to the event. On site, limited-edition commemorative tickets and cancellation stamps, event-exclusive merchandise and a temporary post office were set up, attracting many railway enthusiasts on a pilgrimage.

The celebration opened with a ocarina performance by Zhuqi High School, which has spared no effort in promoting forest railway culture. In the 104th year of the Republic of China, the school formed the "Alishan Youth Ambassadors" club, weaving through the alleys of Zhuqi to recover lost cultural memories and telling children the community memory stories of the forest railway. Meanwhile, the children of Shizi Elementary School used the local language to write local songs, bringing the audience an authentic "Song of Shizi Road" through recitation and singing.

Minister Lin Tsung-hsien said that the Alishan Forest Railway is unique. First, it runs from an elevation of 31 m to 2451 m, passing through tropical, warm and temperate forest zones, and features distinctive railway engineering methods and precious cultural relics, so every effort should be made to seek World Heritage status. Second, the transformation of the forest railway is closely tied to the transformation of the city of Chiayi; through exchanges with international sister railways, and using Chiayi's local terroir as momentum, it can support a World Heritage application. In the future, the operation of the forest railway will be undertaken by the Forestry Bureau. After a dedicated agency is established, it will actively fight for employee pay and will never treat them unfairly.