臺北市政府文化局

During the scorching months of July and August, many parents take their children to play at Taipei Water Park near Yongfu Bridge in Gongguan. With an entrance fee of less than $100, it’s a popular destination. However, beside the Water Park, which is only open in summer, lies a Baroque-style Museum of Drinking Water and a reservoir at the top of a trail by Guanyin Mountain. These locations hold a story of a friendship between a mentor and disciple that transcends national boundaries.

Since Japan began to rule over Taiwan in 1895, poor sanitation leading to widespread illness and even death among Japanese soldiers had been a significant cause for concern for Japanese authorities. By the end of 1895, over 4,000 soldiers had died from disease, and more than 20,000 had been sent back to Japan for treatment, far surpassing the number of casualties in combat. In order to quickly improve the environment, Goto Shinpei, a sanitation consultant to the Government-General of Taiwan, asked Scottish engineer W. K. Burton and his student Hamano Yashiro to survey various locations in Taiwan for urban planning and to select sites for water facilities.

After exploring three rivers in the upper reaches of the Taipei Basin—Dahan River, Jingmei River, and Xindian River—they selected the site where the Water Park currently stands. They planned a series of hydraulic facilities that would draw water from the Xindian River into a filtration plant. To ensure a steady supply of water to Taipei City and the Dadaocheng area, they constructed a large reservoir on Gongguan’s Guanyin Mountain which could supply water to approximately 150,000 people. The water would naturally flow down into the city under the force of gravity.

This reservoir may not appear as striking or grandiose as the Museum of Drinking Water at the bottom of the mountain. From the main entrance, it looks like an elegant concrete structure with nothing particularly remarkable about it. However, the intermittent ventilation pipes in the lawn above hint at something extraordinary below. Opening the door reveals an astonishing sight. It is remarkable to consider that this sizable reservoir was constructed entirely by manual labor more than a century ago, before the advent of excavators and cranes.

The reservoir, which ceased operations in 1977, was designed by architect Moriyama Matsunosuke, who incorporated numerous Greek elements into the bases of the flow-diverting walls within the reservoir. Now, after renovation and the installation of lighting, it exudes an aura of a mysterious underground palace, which led to it being chosen as the venue for the 2021 Taipei Fashion Week. 

Although W. K. Burton sadly passed away before the completion of the waterway projects, both he and his student would undoubtedly have been deeply impressed by the reservoir’s transformation today.