The Shimen Sesame Grand Hotel is a hotel located in the scenic area of Shimen Reservoir in Longtan District, Taoyuan. It began operations in 1976 and was the first example of a real estate investment trust (REIT) in Taiwan. Once flourishing, the hotel fell into decline due to the downturn in tourism at Shimen Reservoir, poor management, and eventually being submerged by muddy water, leading to its closure. One peculiar thing about the Hotel was its unusual floor numbering system. The top floor was called the “first floor,” while the actual ground floor was labeled the “eighth floor.”
Today
In 2008, the Shimen Sesame Grand Hotel was officially closed. As always, some people—urban explorers—go inside. In the dark, they start seeing ghosts, or something like that. Today, the hotel structure is still intact, but heavily overgrown. The wind whistles through it, and water seeps in. There’s definitely something eerie about going in there alone at night. You can go inside, but you have to watch out for wild dogs and barbed wire. Be careful — there are lots of open shafts, and many of the wooden structures are badly rotted.
(Taiwanese youth are enjoying themselves.)
History
In 1965, the Executive Yuan formulated a policy encouraging private investment in Shimen Reservoir tourism development. Hillside land rental was set at 4% of the announced land value, spurring growth in the local entertainment and tourism industries. The Construction Committee allowed residents of the submerged areas to operate lake cruises and permitted local fishing to supply restaurants around the reservoir. This attracted multiple hotels to the area above the dam, creating a scenic view that drew many tourists.
(Wonderful view of the lake area)
(Not very impressive at first glance)
The grand opening took place in 1976. The hotel was eight stories tall and 257 m long, with a striking white exterior set against green hills. The interior was decorated in Chinese style and featured over 200 suites, including a presidential suite.
1981, the hotel began to default on employee salaries, employees petitioned the Legislative Yuan for help. On January 20, the hotel ceased operations. Employees formed a self-help committee and co-managed the hotel with shareholders until 1988. By the late 1980s, the Shimen Sesame Grand Hotel was still one of the recommended places to eat and stay near the reservoir.
After renovation, the hotel reopened 1992, as Sesame Daoxiang Leisure World. However, as the reservoir lost its appeal, visitor numbers fell from nearly 3 mio at its peak to under 1.3 mio by 1994. Tourist attractions began competing aggressively, worsening the situation. In 1998, stricter government regulations limited development in the reservoir’s catchment area. That year, a once-popular theme park closed due to ownership disputes, further hurting tourism. Operating continued until October 13, 2004, when early drainage from the dam’s water diversion project caused the hotel to be buried in mud.
This is yet another interesting example of Taiwan at that time. The Taiwan Water Corporation was carrying out connection work on two temporary pipelines at the Shimen Reservoir. Due to an accident a day before, a contract worker had to take over a shift at short notice. He called the worker who was originally assigned to the job. Somehow, there was a communication issue. C’est la vie. So, the substitute worker simply activated a pump without authorization—right in the middle of various construction works on the dam.
(an older picture)
Sources:
https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/4/10/15/n690602.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://classic-blog.udn.com/hanklin1018/16809223
Other parts below 石門水庫長壽村
It’s not really clear how the hotel complexes are laid out here, since there’s a lack of information. This one lies directly opposite and is nestled deep into the mountain. It’s situated in a kind of valley, surrounded by natural walls.
That’s also one of the reasons why it was so challenging for Mr. X. From the sides, it’s nearly impossible to access because of the steep natural cliffs. At the lower section, the fence is surprisingly well-guarded with new cameras and secured with barbed wire.
It seems inaccessible. On his first attempt, Mr. X climbed over the fence and managed to avoid the large cameras—it almost looked like a simple security system—until he ran into the hidden new, much smaller cameras and got caught.
It must have been beautiful once, with the swimming pools.
Well, it’s Mr. X—we all know nothing stops him. There was still one last route, a nearly vertical climb through thick brush—and once again, a success on Mr. X’s list.
(not the official entrance)
By now, everything is overgrown.
Watch the video: Dripping water creates a strange sound, and at the end, you can hear some kind of screaming. These hotels have been exposed to the elements for 20 years—water dripping, wind whistling—you quickly start hearing things. Anyone wandering the grounds alone at night will understand why they’re now called so-called ghost houses.
(Copyright Claudius Petzold)
