Taiwan: San Zhi Pod Houses

Author: Alexis Crique

San Zhi Pod Houses by simplyolivia

Have you ever wanted to be a guest at a futuristic looking hotel? How about searching for one occupied with ghosts? Taiwan is the perfect spot! 

Taiwan, or Republic of China, is an island located in eastern Asia. It has Spanish, Dutch and Chinese historical backgrounds because they had all set up forts in sections of Taiwan. New Taipei City, Taiwan would have been the destination to your dream resort. New Taipei is located north of Taiwan. Its subtropical climate makes for a perfect summer vacation. The resort had looked over the northern Pacific Ocean. It was built on Dutch cemetery grounds. Unfortunately,the UFO looking resort was demolished because of apparent bankrupt, curses, and ghosts. There are three strange, different beliefs, this is the story of the San Zhi Pod Homes. 

Built in 1978, San Zhi was targeted for rich natives and military personnel who wanted to have a piece of serenity. Believing to be a good cause, the project was supported financially by the government. Throughout the times of construction, workers mysteriously began dying. Contractors moved a Chinese dragon sculpture that was originally placed in the front gates of the resort because they wanted space for an extra passage. Since there is a large quantity of Chinese culture infused in Taiwan, people believed that the movement of the sculpture brought death upon the workers. By 1980 there was no investment capital and the project was left uncompleted. With no money and a bare minimum of key workers, the buildings were left abandoned. 

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The pod houses had broken windows, village decay,and an alien texture. The houses were very colorful; ranging from yellow to red, to brown and blue. Buildings in the north are white, east are pink, and south are blue. Carrie Kellenberger was personally able to see and tour San Zhi Resort before it was tore down. Disappointingly, she did not experience any ghost or supernatural encounters. Instead she described her emotions while she was there; “ Close your eyes to the destruction . . . you can see how it was intended to look before it was abandoned.” Carrie was shocked about the poor conditions the villages were left in. Roofs were collapsed, the concrete stairs were crumbling and the walls were paper thin.

It doesn’t sound like a perfect get away, but it sure does sound like a memorable vacation spot. Had the UFO houses still been up, would you consider visiting? Take a look at this video. 

Fortunately the people from the Taipei County Government, didn’t abandon the hotel 
location. Instead they turned the area into a commercial seaside resort and water-park. It was demolished in 2009. After all of the past years of kaos, the project ends on a positive note.  

Works Cited:

Hirn, Marcus. “UFO houses, Ruins of the Future, Now Just a Memory.” Triggerpit.com.

Triggerpit, 25 Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. 

Kellenberger, Carrie. “The Haunted Pod Village of San-zhi.” Myseveralworlds.com. N.p, 22

May. 2008. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

N.p. “Taiwan”. Infoplease.com. 2005. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. 

Ralston, Melanie. “San Zhi Resort...Modern Day Silent Hill?” 20 Days of Paranormal. Wings 

of Redemption.Youtube.com. 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Wycech, Olivia. “The Abandoned Pod Village of San-Zhi”. Flickr.com. 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 19 

Oct. 2013. 

Link for Further Research:

The Haunted Pod Village of San Zhi

http://www.myseveralworlds.com/2008/05/22/photo-journal-the-haunted-pod-village-of-san-zhi/

 The writer visited the site, therefore she gives more of a personal view on it.

UFO Houses, Ruins of the Future, Now Just a Memory

http://triggerpit.com/2011/09/25/ufo-houses-ruins-of-the-future/

Explanation of architectural aspects of the UFO houses. 

“San Zhi Resort...Modern Day Silent Hill?” 20  Days of Paranormal. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds9K20ycGZ0

Includes a much religion/cultural and summary on the myth. 

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpPKXr9sp_0

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

http://luxuryhomedecorating.com/modern-and-beautiful-exterior-design-by-san-zhi-taiwan-a-futuristic-resort/

Information and pictures about the exterior design of the pod houses.

CrassTalk

http://crasstalk.com/2011/12/five-interesting-abandoned-places-3/

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