Chiayi's Tropic of Cancer landmark

If you've taken the train — the slower conventional train that is, not the high-speed railway — between Chiayi and points south, you'll likely have noticed it. It looks somewhat like a water tower, but with windows. Some people think it resembles a flying saucer on legs; others describe it as “a giant concrete mushroom.”

It's the Solar Exploration Center (北回歸線太陽館) in Chiayi County's Shueishang Township (嘉義縣水上鄉). This impossible-to-miss landmark is located a few meters east of Taiwan Highway No. 1 (a road which many locals still refer to by its old name, the 'Sheng-dao,' 省道) and just to the west of the main north-south railroad.

This site is of geographical significance: It's where the Tropic of Cancer cuts across Taiwan. Those parts of the island north of the Solar Exploration Center are, officially, sub-tropical. The one-third of the island that lies to the south is within the hot, humid Tropics.

So why is the Solar Exploration Center here, and not someplace else? Why not on the east or west coast, or on the southern slopes of Yushan (玉山)? Taiwan's highest mountain peak is a mere two-and-a-half kilometers north of the Tropic of Cancer.

The reason has to do with the adjacent railway line. After Japan seized control of Taiwan in 1895, work on the north-south rail link, which had begun in the 1880s, was speeded up. In 1908 the railroad reached the Tropic of Cancer. To celebrate this achievement a commemorative pillar was erected.

The centenary of this monument, which has been restored or replaced several times, was marked in June 2008. The current building was completed in 1995. According to Chiayi County Government Tourism Bureau's website, the center is not only “serving as a landmark, but also has a mission of science education, society and culture, tourism and recreation.”

The first floor is devoted to astronomy education. There are classrooms on the second, third and fourth floors. The fifth floor is an exhibition hall. It is well worth climbing to the top of the building for some fine views over the surrounding flat, semi-urbanized neighborhoods.

Among the facts you'll learn inside are that Taiwan is the biggest island on the Tropic of Cancer, and that the line passes through 16 countries, including China, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Algeria. Phenomena such as solar eclipses are explained, and there's a display about experimental solar-powered cars built by teams of Taiwanese college students.

Much of this information is presented in English as well as Chinese, and the translations are of a very high quality.

Fittingly for a building that seeks to educate people about the sun and other heavenly bodies, photovoltaic cells – which convert sunshine into electricity – have been installed on the roof.

Hundreds of trees and plants have been planted on the grounds, and there are models of the planets in our solar system. (Pluto is included; this part of the center clearly hasn't been updated since it was decided in 2006 that Pluto isn't large enough to be considered a planet.) There's also a replica of an ancient Chinese sundial.

Entrance and parking are free. The center is just north of the 271 kilometer marker on Taiwan Highway 1.

According to the schedule at the bus stop outside the center, 17 buses per day go from Chiayi's train station to the Solar Exploration Center, and then on to the coastal town of Budai (布袋). Check the times carefully if you're depending on public transportation; otherwise you might have to wait more than an hour for a bus.

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