Peng Garden

Updates : 2021-05-28

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Introduction

Walking up from Jiufen Police Station, you can find the Peng Garden on the side of Shuqi Road. It used to be a recreational clubhouse for the workers at the Tauyang Gold Mine Office. Taiyang's Chairman, Mr. Yan Qinxian was concerned about the well-being of his mining employees, as they were prone to injury and pneumoconiosis due to the nature their work. Therefore, he turned the clubhouse into a hospital for the miners in 1948 - the Taiyang Mining Associate Hospital. Dr. Peng Qinghuo, who graduated from Tohoku University's Medical Department in Japan, was invited on board as the Chief of Medicine.

Dr. Peng is of Hakka decent from Hsinchu. After graduating from his studies in Japan, he continued his degree for another 4 years, serving as a military doctor for Japanese soldiers sustaining injuries of war. After the Japanese handed over sovereignty to Taiwan, he was ordered by his father to return to his homeland for an arranged marriage. It was then when he started his career in Taiwan; first as a surgeon at Taijing Hospital, then as the Chief of Medicine at Taiyang Mining.

Not only was Dr. Peng a skilled surgeon, he was also a charitable person. Over the years, he built a strong relationship with the local communities, and many residents would often relate charming anecdotes about him. Dr. Peng has done extensive research on pneumoconiosis, and realized the disease was indeed incurable, and that the best he could do was to alleviate the symptoms. He then became an advocate to improve the working conditions of the miners.

References: Onsite interview, 《Jiufen - an oral history by Tai-Yang's Jiang Liangwang》, 《A Collection of Oral Accounts on the History of Jiufen》

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