Taiwan’s Depots in the Age of Steam

In the 1970s, Taiwan was still under martial law due to ongoing tensions with mainland China. This meant that the country was effectively in a wartime state. Railways were considered strategically vital infrastructure, and photography without permission was strictly prohibited. Even depots and stations that could be freely photographed in Japan were off-limits in Taiwan. Soldiers were stationed at stations, bridges, and tunnels, and the atmosphere was tense—something hard to imagine from a Japanese perspective at the time. Nevertheless, with the help of kind individuals—many of whom had received education during the Japanese colonial period and spoke beautiful Japanese—I was able to take photographs without facing any serious trouble. Still, photographing inside depots required supervision, and shots that revealed the overall layout or structure were explicitly not allowed. As a result, only a limited number of satisfying photographs were taken. Though somewhat disorganized, I hope these images may serve as valuable historical documentation.