Sun-Shing Train Station 勝興 Reminds us Taiwan's Best

Sun-Shing Train Station 勝興 in the Miao-Li 苗栗 county is at the location 402 meters above the sea level. This is the highest point along the North-South Taiwan Rail. This station used to be call '16 Fun'( 十六份). Hakka's 'Fun' 份 is a counting unit. 16 'Fun' means that there are 16 units of something. At this place, there were 16 distillers of camphor which was a precious 'prize' products of Formosa in good old time. Englishmen even invaded An-Ping Port of Tainan for the so-called 'camphor incidence' 樟腦事件in 1868. Here in the Sun-Shing village, there were 16 not 1 or 2 camphor distillers.

Camphor is a substance with a strong, aromatic odor. It is found a wood of camphor lurel, a large evergreen tree in Asia, particularly in Taiwan. Camphor has applications from moth repellent to a nanti-microbial substance and to medicine. Camphor together with sugar and tea used to be Formosa's major treasures. They are Taiwan's best.

The rail from Ju-Nan to Miao-Li 竹南苗栗 was built in 1902. In 1903, this part of the rail as well as the rail from Miao-Li to San-Yi 苗栗三義 station were complete. The Japanese set a rail-train controlling station at Sun-Shing 勝興 in 1908. In 1930, this rail-train controlling station was remodeled to become goods-collecting-transferring station and the station was called the 16 'Fun' Parking Station. The place was re-named as the Sun-Shing 勝興 train station in 1958.

Taiwan Trail Company decided to stop service of the old-mountain North-South rail trail that runs from San-Yi 三義 station to Ho-Li 后里 station in 1998. Along with other location, Sun-Shing station 勝興 was designated as a historical place in the Miao-Li 苗栗 County in 1999.

Sun-Shing 勝興 train station was built completely on wood without using any metal fasteners. The station survived two huge earthquakes (including the 1999 9-21 Taiwan Earthquake). Today, the station as well as the plaza nearby becomes a vibrant and busy market place. You can enjoy fine Hakka's delicacy such as Pan-Tiao 版條 (a kind of Rice noodle) here at the plaza of the Sun-Shing 勝興 station.