Department of Cultural Affairs

Along the outer edges of the Taipei Basin can be found high quality stone. At the end of the 19th century, the Qing government decided to construct the new city of Taipei, and chose to build its fortified wall with the andesite found in the mountains of Neihu and Dazhi. These old stones can still be seen in the culvert and walls of the former jail next to the Jinshan South Road offices of the Directorate General of Telecommunications. In addition to serving as material for the city wall, Neihu stone was also widely used as building material by the general population throughout the Japanese colonial period and following World War II. Recently, the Neihu Quarry was closed for the sake of environmental conservation. Signs of excavation are still readily visible, as is a slope specially made to slide stones down the mountain – evidence of the history of Old Taipei’s construction.