Industrial heritage in Taiwan

I find old industrial sites fascinating, and I'm lucky because Taiwan has dozens. In the past 20 years, as Taiwan's economy has shifted from one based on heavy industry and manufacturing to one that focuses on services and high technology, dozens of sugar refineries, mines and ordinary factories have been closed down. Several have been preserved and reopened as tourist attractions; they're especially popular with local school groups as they help youngsters understand how their grandparents earned a living in the 1960s and 1970s. A handful of still-operating, century-old facilities can also be visited. Even if the function of such places doesn't interest you, you'll likely enjoy the architecture.

One of the country's best-known sights of this kind is Taiwan Balloons Museum (who provided the photo here) in Taichung. A government-sponsored website, Tourism Factories of Taiwan, has short descriptions, addresses and opening hours for 53 sights.