Friday, October 26, 2012

Pod Houses in San Zhi


Author: Jackson Jones

 Map of Taiwan. The tip all the way north is the location of the pod houses.
Along the north coast of Taiwan, between Tamsui and Keelung in the San Zhi   district of Taiwan, lie fascinating pod houses. The pod houses are brightly colored and possess a strong resemblance to UFOs. Many of San Zhi’s local residents avoid the pod houses due to a lingering suspicion of paranormal activities. Prior to the rumors, photographers because of their unique characteristics often visited the homes. The pod houses were designed in such a way to allow the builder to continuously expand vertically. Originally, the homes were built with the purpose of providing the wealthy with an appropriate neighborhood for a weekend retreat. (Turnbull) However, these plans were cut short when construction suddenly ceased and the site was abandoned. This unexpected event sparked rumors of the area being haunted. The belief of ghostly event occurring in San Zhi was so powerful and overwhelming to the natives, the Taipei County Government's wanted the area destroyed. However, due to the Taipei County Government’s lack of ownership to the land, the desired actions could not be taken. 
Taiwan Pod Houses by yeowatzup

Chuang’s article in the Taipei Time provides evidence from first-hand encounters with the pod houses. In the article Lin states, “The site is definitely not haunted,” in which she references to the rumors of ghost sightings and high numbers of traffic accidents on the nearby highway. Also, rumors have swirled that over 20,000 skeletons were found when construction first began. The true reason behind the construction’s halt lies in financial issues. The construction had supposedly resumed; however, the site is still unpleasing to look at. In Chuang’s article, Lin states Hung Kuo, who runs Taipei's Hilton Hotel, is interesting in finishing construction. Hung Kuo plans to do so by finishing the buildings, and adding other aesthetical attributes around the UFOs; ultimately, making the site a tourist attraction. His plan is to make San Zhi a location where people will flock to in hopes to admire the strange houses. (Chuang)
Contrarily, many others believe the San Zhi site is possessed because a large number of deaths occurred while construction was still in progress. Many of the deaths followed the construction workers moving a dragon. Very little information is publicly available regarding the pod houses; it is believed that the government is attempting to hide the activity occurring on site. If you have the desire to see for yourself if the site is really haunted or not, take a weekend trip to Taiwan and then make your decision.

Works Cited:

Chuang, Jimmy. "FEATURE: Taipei County Looks to Rebuild Site of Weird UFO Houses." Taipei Times. N.p., 29 Jan. 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.

yeowatzup. “Sanzhi.” Photograph. Justin Delany. Gadling. Aol Travel, 27 April 2011. Web. 23 October 2012.

"San Zhi." San Zhi. StatmyWeb., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012.

"Sometimes Interesting." Abandoned Resort: Sanzhi, Taiwan. N.p., 11 July 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2012.

“Taiwan.” Photograph. Haunted. WordPress. 10 October 2012. Web. 23 October 2012

Tom. "Urban Ghosts." 7 Eerie Abandoned Resorts and Holiday Destinations. N.p., 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2012.

Turnbull, Alex. "Google Sightseeing." The Mysterious Abandoned Pod City of San Zhi. WordPress, 4 Jan. 2008. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. 



Links for further research:

Youtube
A video of all the pod houses in San Zhi, and gives you what they think they could look like if they were in outer space.

Luxury Home Decorating
Information and pictures about the exterior design of the pod houses.

CrassTalk
Information on the abandoned pod houses, and other abandoned places.

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