The Kaohsiung Ciaotou Sugar Refinery—formerly known as Ciaozitou Sugar Refinery—was Taiwan's first modern mechanized sugar factory, established in 1901 during the Japanese colonial period. At its peak, the facility processed over 1,000 metric tons of sugarcane per day. After the war, it was renamed the Taiwan Sugar Corporation's Kaohsiung Plant, operating until it ceased sugar production in 1999. In 2001, local advocates established the K.A.T Sugar Refinery Artist Village on the grounds; by 2006, the site had been developed into the Taiwan Sugar Museum, preserving 19 historical monuments—including the pressing and refining rooms—while promoting the island's sugar heritage and community engagement.

Among the refinery's structures, one Japanese-era building stands apart: the White Building (also known as Bywood), originally built as a guesthouse and banquet hall. When production stopped, the elegant structure fell silent for nearly two decades. It was not until 2018, when a group of cultural workers and local residents launched a space regeneration initiative, that the White Building finally stirred from its long dormancy and began a new chapter.

According to Hung Yu-ling, the White Building's director, art has played a central role in the space's revitalization. The venue has been transformed into a stage for experimental performance and cross-disciplinary creation, drawing resident artists from Taiwan and abroad to layer new meaning onto the building through contemporary artistic expression. The team has also tapped into the wedding industry, making the White Building a sought-after destination for ceremonies and bridal photography. To draw younger audiences into the fold, the team developed interactive card games and online personality quizzes that reimagine the building tour as an immersive exploration of architectural history.

Local Flavors and the Cultural Memory of Faith

Beyond art and performance, the White Building extends its cultural reach through the flavors of the surrounding community. Drawing on the history of the Ciaotou Sugar Refinery and local folk religion, the team was inspired by a nearby Tudigong temple (a tutelary deity, or literally "earth god") to create Houtu Festival (Chronicles of the Earth God), an immersive, multi-format theater project that weaves temple culture, industrial heritage, and residents' daily lives into an epic narrative. The project also encompasses related creative offshoots, including the Fongtǔshíhwèi gift set—a curated collection of local specialties featuring golden pineapple preserves, lemon-infused amber candies, and wild vegetable crackers shaped after temple architectural motifs.

The neighborhood surrounding the White Building is equally rich in local character. Ciaotou Taicheng Steamed Buns, an institution with over 70 years of history, holds firm to its tradition of using same-day slaughtered, still-warm pork and hand-kneaded dough, yielding a filling that is sweet and savory and a skin that is thin, soft, and pleasingly juicy. The Taiwan Sugar Popsicle—a nostalgic staple bound up in the refinery's collective memory—remains beloved in its classic flavors of red bean, taro, and pineapple. And Apo's (Grandma's) Curry Tuna Thick Soup offers a creative fusion of curry and tuna, its rich, hearty broth a testament to the culinary ingenuity and warmth that define this corner of Kaohsiung.

The White Building today has grown into something far greater than the revival of a single historic building. It is an ongoing act of cultural co-creation—one that has successfully integrated art, faith, and local industry to make the old sugar refinery, once again, a place where people gather and creativity thrives.

☛ 　Ciaotou's K.A.T Sugar Refinery Artist Village has been selected as one of the Ministry of Culture's inaugural 100 Culture Bases.