Pingtung City

Shengli Star Village [Victory Star V.I.P. Zone]

Shengli Star Village consists of preserved officials’ dormitory residences, other dormitory units, and administration buildings – as well as ruins – from special zones built by the Japanese in the 1920s/1930s for aircraft units. They form Taiwan’s largest and most complete Japanese military officer dormitory complex. After WW II, the Nationalist government took over and expanded the sites for military dependents’ village usage. The three zones, located about seven blocks north of Pingtung’s railway station, are short walks from each other.

Restoration work was commenced in 2018, with two goals: historical preservation and sustainable dualuse of heritage assets for incubation of Pingtung cultural-creative talent.

Shengli New Village is the largest of the three areas, consisting of seven full city blocks. Along the tranquil streets are many renovated small Westernstyle bungalows with Japanese blacktile roofing, each with a small front and back yard. The enterprises today in residence span a wide spectrum, from eateries serving local/international fare to bakeries to cafes to local-product shops and bookshops and performingarts venues.

The heart of the village is the Star Plaza, beside which you’ll find the General’s House, which today houses the visitor center. This was the home of successive superintendents of an important associated military academy. The red-door gate is the only remnant from the original enclosure wall. In the yard is a tall theme sculpture made with aircraft auxiliary fuel tanks – in the past, in the face of short supplies, residents used such tanks as household water towers.

Diagonally across from the General’s House is the 50s Village Grocery Store – a residence transformed to look like an old-days mom-and-pop corner store. Taking up the westernmost block is the V.I.P. Park, consisting of bungalow ruins that have been reconceptualized as accessible villagemotif installation artworks – childhoodmemory model airplanes and dreams of aircraft-travel adventure, military dependents’ village life, dorm-residence architectural blueprints, etc.