Summer in Taiwan: Losheng Sanatorium

There were several options offered for educational trip segment during the Symposium. Tiqah and I had chosen to go to 'Losheng Sanatorium' while the rest of us IIUM delegates chose Taipei Hospital Pharmacy for the trip. 

So what is exactly Losheng Sanatorium? It is a santcuary plus treatment center for people suffering from/diagnosed with leprosy during the Japanese Occupation/Administration in Taiwan. So as you can see, this place is ancient and the people currently living in this place (not sure, it had been 2 years!!) are within the range of age between 70 to 90 years old. 

Losheng Sanatorium is located at the top of a hill and it is like a small city for the leprosy patients. 

Let me tell you a bit about the history of Losheng Sanatorium.

Back then, there were no empirical or prophylactic treatment for Leprosy. Those who were diagnosed with leprosy by the doctors would be forcibly taken by the Japanese police to be sent to this Losheng Sanatorium, where there will reside here forever and ever, never to go out, never to meet their family members again. This is quite tragic. Most of the occupants had been living here since they were in their teens. Devastating, right? 

As we stepped into the sanatorium, we were ushered into this room to hear a briefing from this lady here. She was a university student who did volunteer works in this sanatorium. Her English is impeccable! She briefed us about the history of Losheng Sanatorium and showed us a video about it. The video was in Mandarin but I got the gist of what is it all about. 

We stepped outside for a tour around the sanatorium. First checkpoint, the temple/church.

This temple church combination building was built by the occupants to show their gratitude towards their Gods. 

You could see that it is a church with the pews on the left and right hand side of this temple/church and you could also see that it is a Buddhist temple with the statues of the Buddhist deities there. 

Next checkpoint, the old abandoned Kingdom hospital. 

This hospital was supported by these structures because there were construction works done at the foot of the hill, causing movement of soil/land which later produced cracks on the hospital buildings. Very dangerous.

This is an abandoned Japanese hospital. 

Now now, look at this picture (this one above) .

At the end of this particular hallway, you could see an exit. It's the only way in and out of the hospital during those days. We were told that the leprosy patients were really suffering physically and emotionally, they were feeling very homesick and they missed their family so much. And thus, they looked at the exit as a beacon of light towards freedom. 

You know what they did? 

They hung themselves on the wooden pillars you could see in this picture above, facing the exit. They just couldn't wait to get out of this place. 

It's like a perfect setting for a horror movie. Now I could tell people that I had been inside an abandoned hospital. Have you? :P Achievement Unlocked! :D

She looks creepy here!! Hehe. Sorry!!! 

In front of the hospital, there was a tree. 

Another volunteer told us that back then, there was no absolute cure for leprosy. The patients were just given painkiller to alleviate their pain. Soon, they ran out of painkillers/the pain was very unbearable. What the doctors did was that they give the patient the leaves of this tree/plant in the medicinal form, as a herbal preparation. The thing is, the doctors themselves know that these leaves do not contain any medicinal properties, but they just gotta give something to the patients. It's like a placebo effect I guess. 

Next, a tour around the residential places. 

It is quite similar to a housing area. A group of people would stay in one house, and another group in another house.

Vegetables were planted here. 

And oh, back then (and probably right now), there were this issue regarding the evacuation of the occupants in Losheng Sanatorium to somewhere else, much to the protests of the occupants, volunteers and public. You could google to know more about it. 

After the tour, we headed back to the briefing room and three of the occupants were brought there to share their experiences living there.

I remember asking a question to one of them, and the volunteer translated my question into Mandarin.

I couldn't remember my question, LOL, but I distinctly remember the answer that he had given me.

"I was a bright student at school. I wanted to enter university. But I was diagnosed with leprosy. The police came to my home and took me away from my family and placed me here. I was only in my teens. For the first 3 months, I cried everyday. I missed my family, I missed my friends, I missed school. I brought my books together with me here but...."

Okay, I forgot the rest of it. It had been 2 years!!

All in all, it was a very memorable day, a memorable experience that not everyone could gain. I wish to visit this place again someday.

And do you know that we have our own version of Losheng Sanatorium here in Malaysia? It is located in Sungai Buloh. My brother told me that they have their own currency there, of which I am not quite sure of, haha.

THE END