Explore an Abandoned Japanese-Era Incinerator in Zhongzheng

Minutes from Taipei Botanical Gardens lies Longkou Incinerator, an abandoned incinerator from the Japanese Colonial Era. It was built in 1932 by the Japanese during their occupation of Taiwan to lessen the amount of garbage ending up in landfills, which was causing health problems for residents. It was one of three garbage incinerators built in Taipei at the same time to combat the issue, which came with a sharp increase in Taipei’s population in the 1920s. While the Japanese undoubtedly did some terrible things during their occupation, improving public health and sanitation was a priority for them, and some of the policies they introduced — including providing the public with access to clean drinking water and organizing city-wide waste disposal — had a huge impact on the overall quality of life for residents of Taipei.

Despite the incinerator being surrounded by a fence, it’s actually surprisingly easy to get inside, as there is an entrance through the alley on its left-hand side (see our map for the precise location). From there, you can simply walk in. It is hardly undiscovered, which is made evident by the abundance of graffiti and (ironically) rubbish that lies scattered across the site.

The incinerator and surrounding areas were ravaged by a fire in 2010, causing a lot of damage and leaving it in ruins. As you can see from the photos, preserving this building has not been a priority for the local government, and we are lucky it still stands today since places like this have a habit of disappearing without warning, almost overnight. Who can say how long the incinerator will be around for?

Despite not being preserved, you can still make out a good deal from the remnants of the structure, most notably the old furnaces and the refractory brick structure.

Nature has done its best to reclaim the incinerator, with trees and plants growing out of the crumbling roof, which is quite pretty. There’s lots of grass, some of which we strongly suspect is hiding ticks — watch out for them!

It’s possible to actually go inside the old furnaces, although they are A) creepy as hell, and B) being used as a storage space by some neighbours. It smells pretty damp and musty, and the towers of piled-up used paint containers do nothing to make it less spooky. We’re also not quite sure how secure building is, so you will be entering at your own risk. Be careful!

A little further away from the main building is a room that used to be, apparently, a toilet. From the rubbish scattered on the ground, we deduced that the party is very much alive in here. You can probably skip it unless toilets are your thing.

If you exit the way you came and continue along the alley (around the back), there is a tear in the fence where — in theory — it is possible to squeeze through and explore an additional section of the incinerator.

There isn’t much to see, apart from the remnants of the old chimney that burned down in 2010, and it’s pretty sketchy, so we don’t particularly recommend doing this. You can also take photos through the fence.

All in all, this isn’t exactly the most exciting attraction in Taipei, but if you’re interested in history or abandoned buildings it’s an interesting spot to check out. In our opinion, this would be a great add-on to a trip to the botanical gardens, if you’re already planning on visiting it. They’re both free, and literally minutes away from each other!

What’s the vibe?

Abandoned, somewhat creepy old incinerator from the Japanese colonial era. There is a lot of rubble and garbage lying around, and one of our friends spotted a tick in her hair afterward. We saw one other tourist at the beginning of our visit, but otherwise, it was completely empty.

Worth it?

That depends on you. We found it quite interesting, and it was a nice, free way to spend twenty minutes.

Would you go back?

Maybe to take a friend, or to go on Halloween.

Visited: June 2019

Longkou Incinerator

Chinese Name: 龍口町塵芥燒却場

Hours: Open 24/7

English Address: Lane 104, Section 2, Heping West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City

Chinese Address: 台北市中正區和平西路二段104巷