From A Military Seaplane Base To An International Circuit: A Study Of Toko Seaplane Base As A Controversial Heritage Site

Located in a lagoon in south-western Taiwan, Toko (today’s Dapeng Bay) was Taiwan’s largest Japanese seaplane base during the Pacific War. After WWII, the infrastructures of Toko were reused as the R.O.C. Air Force schools until 1978. In 1997, Toko was designated as a National Scenic Area. However, Taiwan government failed to take advantage of this opportunity to turn it into a cultural heritage. Instead, it gave special permissions to a private company to operate the base, allowing the investors to demolish part of the barracks and to build an international circuit. This is the biggest BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) project for the leisure industry in Taiwan so far, making Toko undoubtedly a controversial historical heritage site.