Wang-An Lime Kiln, Industrial lime kiln in Zhongshe Village, Taiwan.
The Wang-An Lime Kiln (Yan Fu Lime Kiln) is a roofless cylindrical kiln built of stacked basalt blocks in Zhongshe Village, Penghu. It measures 3.7 m in outer diameter, 2.7 m in inner diameter and 2.45 m in height. The base has stone slabs laid in alternating high and low strips forming a grate, with ventilation holes at the north and south, and a 70 cm opening on the east side for feeding coral and charcoal and removing lime.
Yan Fu (1879–1962), a Huazhai resident who had served as head of Wan'an's 12th bao under Japanese rule, opened the kiln after the end of World War II; the exact year is unknown. Lime burning had reached Penghu in the Japanese colonial era, introduced from Huxi, and the kiln stood beside his fish-processing workshop on the south shore of Huazhai Bay. It supplied lime to Wan'an and to Huayu until it closed around 1961–1962, when his adopted son Yan Wei took over the business.
Locals know the kiln as Gân-hú he-iô, after its owner Yan Fu (1879–1962), who was head of the 12th bao of Wang'an during the Japanese era and ran a nearby eight-cauldron fish-processing works. The kiln stood beside that fish works on the south shore of Huazhai Bay, and both passed to his adopted son Yan Wei before closing around 1961–1962.
The kiln stands roofless on the coral shore of Huazhai Bay, beside the site of Yan Fu's fish-processing workshop. Its east side is left open as a roughly 70 cm ash outlet, and two vents at the north and south base were opened according to the season's wind to feed the fire. Look for the low-high "stove-tongue" stone rows on the floor.
The kiln processed marine resources like coral and shells gathered from nearby waters through specialized heating techniques. This method proved practical for island residents who could convert readily available local materials into useful construction supplies.
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