The Sanzhi UFO Houses (Chinese: 三芝飛碟屋; pinyin: Sānzhī Fēidiéwū), also known as the UFO houses of Sanjhih, Sanjhih pod houses or Sanjhih Pod City, are a set of abandoned and never-completed pod-shaped buildings in Sanzhi District, New Taipei, Taiwan. The buildings resemble Futuro houses, some examples of which can be found elsewhere in Taiwan.[1][2][3][4] The site where the buildings are located was owned by Hung Kuo Group.[5]
The UFO houses were constructed beginning in 1978.[5] They were intended as a vacation resort in a part of the northern coast adjacent to Tamsui, and were marketed towards U.S. military officers coming from their East Asian postings.[6] However, the project was abandoned in 1980 due to investment losses and several car accident deaths and suicides during construction, which is said to have been caused by the inauspicious act of bisecting the Chinese dragon sculpture located near the resort gates for widening the road to the buildings.[5][6] Other stories indicated that the site was the former burial ground for Dutch soldiers.[7]
Abandoned Sanzhi UFO houses
The pod-like buildings became a minor tourist attraction due in part to their unusual architecture.[6] The structures have since been the subject of a film,[8] used as a location by MTV for cinematography, and become a subject in online discussions, described as a ghost town or "ruins of the future".[9]
DemolitionEdit
The buildings were scheduled to be torn down in late 2008, despite an online petition to retain at least one of the structures as a museum.[10] Demolition work on the site apparently began on December 29, 2008, with plans to redevelop the site into a tourist attraction with hotels and beach facilities.[5]
Some sources indicate that the last of the houses were demolished in 2010, and the site was in the process of being converted to a commercial seaside resort and waterpark. As of 2023 no UFO houses remain.
In popular cultureEdit
The houses are referred to in the title of a track on the GermanpianistHauschka's 2014 LP Abandoned City.
The site features in one of the sequences of the action film White Phantom.
The Sanzhi UFO Houses appear in a multiplayer map as a part of the Apocalypse DLC map pack in the 2012 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
sanzhi, houses, sanzhi, houses, chinese, 三芝飛碟屋, pinyin, sānzhī, fēidiéwū, also, known, houses, sanjhih, sanjhih, houses, sanjhih, city, abandoned, never, completed, shaped, buildings, sanzhi, district, taipei, taiwan, buildings, resemble, futuro, houses, some,. The Sanzhi UFO Houses Chinese 三芝飛碟屋 pinyin Sanzhi Feidiewu also known as the UFO houses of Sanjhih Sanjhih pod houses or Sanjhih Pod City are a set of abandoned and never completed pod shaped buildings in Sanzhi District New Taipei Taiwan The buildings resemble Futuro houses some examples of which can be found elsewhere in Taiwan 1 2 3 4 The site where the buildings are located was owned by Hung Kuo Group 5 Sanzhi UFO Houses三芝飛碟屋General informationTypeResortArchitectural styleUFOLocationSanzhi New Taipei TaiwanGroundbreaking1978 Contents 1 Construction and abandonment 2 Demolition 3 In popular culture 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksConstruction and abandonment EditThe UFO houses were constructed beginning in 1978 5 They were intended as a vacation resort in a part of the northern coast adjacent to Tamsui and were marketed towards U S military officers coming from their East Asian postings 6 However the project was abandoned in 1980 due to investment losses and several car accident deaths and suicides during construction which is said to have been caused by the inauspicious act of bisecting the Chinese dragon sculpture located near the resort gates for widening the road to the buildings 5 6 Other stories indicated that the site was the former burial ground for Dutch soldiers 7 Abandoned Sanzhi UFO housesThe pod like buildings became a minor tourist attraction due in part to their unusual architecture 6 The structures have since been the subject of a film 8 used as a location by MTV for cinematography and become a subject in online discussions described as a ghost town or ruins of the future 9 Demolition EditThe buildings were scheduled to be torn down in late 2008 despite an online petition to retain at least one of the structures as a museum 10 Demolition work on the site apparently began on December 29 2008 with plans to redevelop the site into a tourist attraction with hotels and beach facilities 5 Some sources indicate that the last of the houses were demolished in 2010 and the site was in the process of being converted to a commercial seaside resort and waterpark As of 2023 no UFO houses remain In popular culture EditThe houses are referred to in the title of a track on the German pianist Hauschka s 2014 LP Abandoned City The site features in one of the sequences of the action film White Phantom The Sanzhi UFO Houses appear in a multiplayer map as a part of the Apocalypse DLC map pack in the 2012 video game Call of Duty Black Ops II See also EditFuturo house Wanli District New Taipei an area known for similar architectureReferences Edit archINForm Archive Futuro House retrieved 13 June 2011 Hive mind search for Peggie Scott retrieved 13 June 2011 Photos by flickr user city tales February 2010 retrieved 13 June 2011 Photo Archive 2008 12 17 for flickr user Peggie Scott retrieved 13 June 2011 a b c d Chuang Jimmy 29 January 2009 FEATURE Taipei County looks to rebuild site of weird UFO houses The Taipei Times retrieved 2 January 2010 a b c 黃 其豪 21 January 2008 網友以訛傳訛 三芝飛碟屋變鬼屋 Liberty Times in Chinese retrieved 28 November 2009 Chang Leo 22 September 2008 Taiwan s deserted UFO houses The Observers France 24 First ever Taiwan Sweden co production film to begin shooting in Sanzhi archived from the original on 24 September 2015 retrieved 2 December 2012 黃 其 25 December 2008 三芝飛碟屋 下周一開拆 聯合報 Udn com in Chinese retrieved 29 November 2009 洪 哲政 28 December 2008 三芝飛碟屋明天拆 網友求情 留1棟 Apple Daily in Chinese retrieved 28 November 2009External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sanzhi UFO Houses Photo set on Flickr Another photo set on Flickr Videos of the pod houses Photo gallery at File Magazine UFO Houses The Ruins of the Future 25 15 39 N 121 28 40 E 25 2609591 N 121 4776754 E 25 2609591 121 4776754 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sanzhi UFO houses amp oldid 1171266475, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
