Hidden in the alleys of Jinshan South Road in Taipei’s Da’an District, this century-old townhouse once served as the living quarters of the staff of the Sanrinka (Forestry Section) of the Taiwan Government-General during the Japanese colonial era. At dawn, personnel would set off from here, traversing mountains and valleys into the forests. At night, they organized survey data and drew maps under lamplight, turning the unknown mountains and forests into readable records inch by inch. A century later, one of the dormitories has been transformed into a “Conservation Station” and reopened, and precious cultural relics that had been sealed away for years are being shown to the world for the first time. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA), in collaboration with Professor HUNG Kuang-Chi’s team from National Taiwan University, has organized a special exhibition titled “0km: Revisiting the Sanrinka.” The exhibition is publicly displaying, for the first time, hand-drawn maps and the complete Forest Registration Ledger compiled by the staff members of the Sanrinka during the Japanese colonial era. The audience is invited to return to the starting point of modern forestry in Taiwan and re-examine how people understood and managed these mountains and forests a century ago. The “Forest Management Project” launched by the Taiwan Government-General in 1925 was the first attempt in Taiwan’s history to plan top-down comprehensive forest management using scientific methods. At that time, Sanrinka staff had to complete forest resource inventory division by division, despite working with rugged terrain and extremely limited information. The hand-drawn maps, unveiled for the first time in this exhibition, serve as the most tangible testament to this history of forestry workers traversing the mountains and forests on foot, meticulous measuring and recording the slopes, forest types, water systems, and vegetation on paper in detail. The “Forest Registration Ledger,” also on display for the first time, provide a detailed account of the conditions of each forest compartment. These artifacts, originally hidden in archives, now give visitors a glimpse of how Taiwan’s forests have transformed from mere natural landscapes into the basis for systems and policies. The first public display of these hand-drawn maps and Forest Registration Ledger is not merely an exhibition of artifacts, but also an opportunity to “re-understand the forest.” The presentation of the original documents allow visitors to clearly sense the meticulousness and arduousness of forest inventory a century ago, and gain an understanding on how these paper records profoundly influenced the forestry system and land use for the next century. The exhibition presents the significance of forestry governance through the writings, drawings, and traces of daily life of the staff. It further guides visitors to think about how scientific forest management was implemented in Taiwan and how it continues to shape the forest we are familiar with today. “0km: Revisiting the Sanrinka” uses the original site of the Sanrinka staff dormitory as the exhibition space, allowing visitors to view these key artifacts that are being displayed to the public for the first time in a real historical location, as if stepping into the working environment of forestry workers. The FANCA stated that it hopes this exhibition will help more people understand that Taiwan’s forestry is not an abstract system, but rather a century-long achievement build upon volumes of hand-drawn maps and the Forest Registration Ledger. “0km” symbolizes how this was the starting point for staff setting out on forest inventory, while also serving as a fixed point for reflection. It invites the public to come into the exhibition area and witness firsthand how Taiwan’s forests were documented and planned, and while understanding the past, to rethink the future direction of coexistence between humans and forests. 0km: Revisiting the Sanrinka Special Exhibition Dates | From now until July 26, 2026, 10:00 - 17:00 (Closed on Mondays) Location｜Conservation Station (No. 24, Lane 203, Section 2, Jinshan South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City) ⚠️No food or drinks are allowed in the exhibition area. Shoes must be removed before entering, and wearing socks is recommended. Exhibition Information｜https://reurl.cc/jrx5Rm Audio Guide｜https://reurl.cc/7VOojy
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