Asano Cement Kaohsiung Plant (Taiwan Cement Kaohsiung Plant)
浅野セメント株式会社高雄工場
Taiwan's first modern cement factory, established in 1917 by the Asano zaibatsu at the foot of Shoushan (Takao Mountain) in Kaohsiung. The plant exploited high-quality limestone deposits to supply cement for harbor construction, military installations, and infrastructure across colonial Taiwan, producing up to 410,000 tonnes annually by 1937. Nationalized in 1946 as Taiwan Cement Corporation's Kaohsiung Plant. Three original 1918 lime kilns and a red-brick warehouse survive as registered historical buildings.
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History
The Asano Cement Takao Plant (浅野セメント株式会社高雄工場) was the first modern cement factory in Taiwan and a cornerstone of Japan's colonial industrialization of the island. Its establishment was intimately linked to the development of Takao (modern Kaohsiung) as a major port city.
Founding and the Asano Zaibatsu
Asano Soichiro (淺野總一郎, 1848-1930), the founder of the Asano zaibatsu and known as Japan's "Cement King," had purchased the Fukagawa Cement Works in 1884 and formally established the Asano Cement Company (浅野セメント株式会社) in 1912. Recognizing the potential of Takao Mountain's (壽山) abundant high-quality limestone deposits, the company obtained mining rights from the Taiwan Governor-General's Office in 1913 for approximately 190 hectares of government-owned land on Takao Mountain (then classified under Tainan Prefecture, Koryunai-ri).
Asano's interest in southern Taiwan was directly connected to the Takao harbor modernization project. Starting in 1908, the Governor-General's Office had launched a six-year plan to transform the shallow harbor at Takao (打狗) into a modern commercial port. Asano Soichiro had earlier obtained permission in 1906 for land reclamation work in Takao Bay, and the enormous quantities of cement required for breakwaters, wharves, and port facilities created a natural market for a local factory.
Construction and Early Operations
Factory construction began in 1915 at the base of Shoushan, adjacent to the Takao River (now the Love River). The plant was strategically positioned with dedicated railway connections to the nearby Tamachi Station (田町驛, present-day Gushan Station), enabling efficient transport of finished cement to Kaohsiung Harbor for distribution across Taiwan and export.
The factory commenced operations in May 1917 with a single dry-process hollow rotary kiln production line, producing 10,185 tonnes of cement in its first year. This made it Taiwan's first and, for years, only large-scale cement plant. The facility was one of the largest industrial employers in Taiwan at the time, with 390 workers in 1917.
Expansion and Wartime Production
Production expanded steadily through the 1920s and 1930s. In April 1928, a major labor dispute erupted when over 700 workers — both Taiwanese and Japanese — went on strike demanding the reinstatement of 41 dismissed employees, improved wages, and better company housing. This became one of the longest-running labor actions in colonial Taiwan's history.
Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in July 1937, production was rapidly expanded to meet surging military demand for fortifications, airfields, and infrastructure across the expanding Japanese empire. A third production line was added, bringing annual capacity to approximately 410,000 tonnes — supplying roughly 80% of all cement consumed in Taiwan.
During the Pacific War, the factory's output supported construction of military airfields, coastal defenses, naval facilities, and air-raid shelters across Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The plant's strategic importance made it a target for Allied bombing raids. In 1944-1945, the factory and the adjacent Kaohsiung Harbor area suffered heavy damage from Allied air attacks, severely disrupting production.
Post-War Nationalization and Legacy
Following Japan's surrender in August 1945, the Republic of China government established a Cement Supervisory Committee (水泥監理委員會) under the Executive Yuan's National Resources Commission and the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Office. In April 1946, the committee took over the Kaohsiung plant along with other cement factories across Taiwan. On May 1, 1946, Taiwan Cement Corporation (台灣水泥公司) was formally established, with the Kaohsiung facility becoming its flagship plant.
Mining operations on Shoushan ceased on November 27, 1992, when the quarrying concession expired. The last kiln was shut down in July 1994, ending 77 years of cement production at the site. Much of the factory complex has since been demolished.
Surviving Heritage
Three of the original seven brick lime kilns, constructed in 1918 (Taisho 7), survive on the hillside of Shoushan. Built of red brick in a cylindrical form, they represent the first-generation facilities of the Asano Cement Taiwan plant and are among the rarest surviving examples of early modern cement-firing installations in Taiwan. A red-brick warehouse from the Japanese colonial era also survives, featuring a distinctive clear-brick construction with a timber double-beam roof structure notable for its large span — a rarity in Kaohsiung.
On December 2, 2020, the Kaohsiung City Government registered the "Former Asano Cement Taiwan Plant Red-Brick Warehouse and Lime Kilns" (原淺野水泥台灣工場紅磚倉庫及石灰窯) as a historical building, recognizing their significance as witnesses to the origins of Taiwan's cement industry and the island's early industrialization under Japanese colonial rule.