Sio business dormitory

In 1899, the salt monopoly policy was implemented by Japanese Government in Taiwan and the Taiwan Monopoly Bureau was founded in 1901. In 1919, Taiwan Salt Manufacture Co. was founded for manufacturing salt exclusively in Taiwan and in 1922, the Anping office, one of the 4 salt factories in Tainan, was set up and a building complex including a salt making laboratory ,vacuum distillation factories, warehouses and a dormitory was built. The complex was used as a experimental salt factory and salt re-distributing office during Japanese colonial period and the vacuum distillated salt was the great achivement. The vacumn distillation factory was destroyed in WW II and the building was used as a dormitory by Taiwan Salt Co. Inc. retirees. The Ministry of Economic Affairs took back the building and recognized the deserted dormitory as a city grade historical site in 2003. A renovation project was started in 2008 and completed in February 2010. The building is now operating by Hwang Sun Enterprise Co. Ltd. under the BOT contract, called Sio Business Dormitory (Xi You Chu Zhang Suo, 夕遊出張所, as sio is the Japanese pronounciation for salt and Chu Zhang Suo is a business dormitory)

The architecture is a combination of Japanese and western styles. The 2 wooden buildings are connected with a roofed corridor in a formation of L shape. The roof of the entrance was built in hankirizuma-zukuri style; extending from the main building, a style of western balcony. The windows are counterpoised, you can easily stop the windows in any position. In the building, looking up, timbers were arranged in a crisscross pattern, a traditional Japanese roofing style; one room is elevated and covered with tatamis emitting a dense Japanese atmosphere.



Given the history of the building, Sio business dormitory exhibits lots of salt sculptures in the room like the 12 Chinese Zodiac and Jadeite Cabbage with Insects.

366 different colored salt (one for Feb. 29th) is displayed in the lobby, you can find your birthday salt and a card explaining your characteristics.

Boiled egg is coated with white salt and shaped like a steam bun (NT$30).

Address: 196, Gubao St, Anping rd, Anping district, Tainan
Tel: 06-3911088
Opening hours: weekdays: 11:00-19:00; weekend: 10:00-20:00, Monday off.
Entrance is free