Erlun Story House 二崙故事屋

6/26/2024

Erlun Story House (formerly Erlun Police Station) was the first police station built in Yunlin County in 1899. It acted as both a police station and a dormitory for police officers. Now it has been renovated and converted into a communal space to tell the stories of Yunlin's history. It is definitely worth a stop on your next trip to Yunlin.

Historical Background:
Before Han Chinese settlement, Erlun was inhabited by native peoples. During the Kingdom of Tungning after Koxinga's conquest of Taiwan from the Dutch, the first Chinese farmers began to settle here due to the fertile land and mild climate. At the time it was situated in the middle of two other settlements: Lukang and Beigang.
After the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1895, Erlun Police Station was built in 1899 as the first police station in Yunlin and was officially called Douliu District Erlun Police Substation. The Erlun Police Station's jurisdiction included Erlun, Huilaicuo, Tianwei, and Sankuai Village. In 1926, it was rebuilt on the original site into its current form. The main office was made of brick and the left and right sides were wooden dormitories, making an "i" shape. After World War II, the original Erlun Police Station continued to be used as a police station until a new Erlun Branch Office was built right next door.
It was recognized as a historical building in 2005.
In 2014 it was renovated at a cost of roughly 8 million NTD and renamed the Erlun Story House. The building is now used for cultural promotion and performances.

Hours:
9 AM - 5 PM, closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Saturday hours: 1 PM to 9 PM

Price:
Free

Where to stay:
We have stayed at and recommend Ai Ni Ya Hotel, with great quality and service right in downtown Beigang (book on Agoda here or Booking.com here).
We also recommend the Grand Earl Hotel, a high class hotel in central Douliu (book on Agoda here or Booking.com here)
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation on the islands. Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

Tours in Yunlin:
Tours and activities in Yunlin include Janfusun Fancy World Amusement Park, Kite Surfing, Tree Climbing , Chaoyang Green Energy Farm, Sam Siu Garden, Pink Castle Park, Gukeng Green Tunnel, Caoling Highway, and more.
You can find more tours of Yunlin on Klook here or KKday here.

Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog.
You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase.

How to get there:
By Scooter: From Provincial Highway 1, go south to the Xiluo Great Bridge until you reach Xiluo Town. Then continue along Highway 154 until you reach Erlun. The police station is in the center of town. There is free parking on the side of the road.
Looking for scooter rental in Yunlin? Check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
By Car: From National Freeway 1, get off at the Xiluo Exit and keep going until you reach Xiluo Town. Then continue along Highway 154 until you reach Erlun. The police station is in the center of town. There is limited free parking on the side of the road.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
By Bus/Train: From Yunlin HSR Station, you can take bus 7718 for about 20 minutes to Erlun Village. The Erlun Story House is near Erlun Station.
You can also book tickets to travel to Yunlin via inter-city bus on Klook h ere.
You can book tickets to Yunlin via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here.
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here.

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Erlun Story House once. It is one of the most important historical relics in Yunlin, and one of the oldest Japanese era structures in all of Yunlin County.
When I visited, there was a very nice lady there who volunteers to teach people about the history of the building. She kindly guided me on a tour of the building in Chinese and let me know the historical importance of the area (see the summary above). I only wish I had more time to stay there and take part in the cultural events that they have there from time to time.

Check out our drone video of the area above.

360 degree aerial view above Erlun Story House #二崙故事屋 which was the first police station built in Yunlin County in 1899. #二崙鄉 #雲林
Posted by Foreigners in Taiwan 外國人在台灣 on Monday, May 13, 2024

You can also check out a 360 degree view of the area above.

View of the story house from the air, in the context of Erlun Village.

View of the new and old police stations in Erlun Township.

"The old Erlun police station used to be Erlun Police Squadron under the jurisdiction of Siluo Police Department. The history of the squadron is closely related to the changes in the administration of Yunlin County. It is a colonial building that witnessed the police system and local self-governing system in Japanese ruling days. According to the historic records of the old Erlun police station, it was built in 1899, and under the jurisdiction of Beigang Police Department. At the beginning, the police station probably had to occupy several civilian houses, temples or other government-owned properties for business at where the building is now, until the administration of Yunlin was finalized in the reformation of local administration in 1920. 1926, the "local administration officer system was revised, and local administrations of county and city level were required to establish police station or squadron, and the old Erlun police station was possibly established on Nov of the same year. The old Erlun police station consists of a masonry office that has higher seismic resistance, and two dormitory wings built with wood and lower seismic resistance. The height of masonry office roof is above the two wings, and the roof is constructed as "two-slope roof" commonly seen in western constructions in Japanese ruling. It was so design to highlight the position and spatial idea of the office. The entrance was designed at the bottom of gable supporting the two-slope roof. Also the reverse V-shaped eaves board directly above forms the so-called "chidori hafu," Japanese for plover bargeboard. It not only keeps the weather out, but also shapes and separates the space to create a layering relation."

Front door of the police station.

The red brick part of the police station was the actual police station itself.

On the left, you can see a wooden-built part of the police station that was the police officer's quarters.

Another view of the refurbished dormitory.

Inside the old police office are shelves full of children's books.

Lanterns decorating the police station made by local students.

Another view of the outside of the station.

The nearby Erlun "city council" building even though Erlun is not a city.

A new western style residence being built.

The original teaching space dating back to the Japanese times at Erlun Elementary school.

One of the many rice fields around Erlun.

While in Erlun I also came across the Erlun Public Swimming pool which is just sitting there empty.

Old shoe rack at the entrance.

Reminder not to smoke here, and "you are cared for by the Legistlative Yuan Board of Physical Activity."

View of the abandoned pool which has been abandoned for over 10 years. It is set for demolition soon at a cost of 7 million NT. Too bad the county government couldn't just maintain it instead of leaving it to rot. See here for a news article on the pool.

I came across this scale model of Xiluo Bridge that someone made as a gag to promote their company. The Xiluo Bridge was once the second-longest bridge in the world. Check out our blog on it here.

Aerial view of Erlun.

Another top-down view of Erlun.

360 degree view from Erlun Township of Yunlin, just to show you that most of Taiwan outside the big cities is rice fields. #二崙鄉 #雲林
Posted by Foreigners in Taiwan 外國人在台灣 on Monday, May 13, 2024

As a bonus for my loyal readers, here is another 360 degree panorama from Erlun.

Don't forget there are many other activities and places to see in Yunlin such as Janfusun Fancy World Amusement Park, Kite Surfing, Tree Climbing, Chaoyang Green Energy Farm, Sam Siu Garden, Pink Castle Park, Gukeng Green Tunnel, Caoling Highway, and more.
You can find more tours of Yunlin on Klook here or KKday here.

You can check out our full guide to Yunlin here.

You can also see our full guide to Taiwan here.