Tucked away on Weixin Rd, Jiayi is the old Jiayi prison. Of the five Japanese style prisons that were built in Taiwan, Jiayi prison is the only one still standing today, although the last inmates were moved out in 1998. Construction began in 1919, and the prison was opened in 1922. Built of cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana) sourced from Alishan (Mt Ali ), it features a central control hub with three long cell blocks radiating from it. This allowed a single guard stationed in the hub to monitor all the cells at the same time. The prison had a capacity of 300 male and 30 female prisoners.

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Looking back at the central hub.

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After decommissioning, developers wanted to tear it down in order to construct apartments and commercial buildings on the site, however a preservation campaign led by The Chiayi Humanist Association and local historical socities prevailed and a prison museum is now planned for the site. The prison has now been declared a municipal historic site.

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