產業設施作為科學文化載體：芎林金玉豐精米所之技術系統與文資價值詮釋

Industrial Facilities as Carriers of Scientific Culture: Interpreting the Technological System and Heritage Value of the Qionglin Jinyufeng Rice Milling Plant

本研究以新竹縣歷史建築「芎林金玉豐精米所」為核心個案，探討產業設施作為「科學文化載體」之文化資產意義，並藉此反思當前文化資產體系中長期存在之「科學價值」缺位問題。本研究指出，現行產業文化資產論述，多偏重於歷史敘事、建築形式與空間保存，較少進一步分析產業設施內部所蘊含之技術系統、能量運作機制與地方操作知識，使產業文化資產往往被理解為靜態的「歷史建築」，而非一套可長期運作並持續累積知識的技術系統。
本研究透過個案研究法、歷史地理學取向與田野調查法，結合歷史文獻、地圖分析、現地踏查與空間判讀，重建「芎林金玉豐精米所」之「水力－機械－碾米」技術系統。經研究發現，「金玉豐」之形成，建立於下山圳穩定水量與地勢落差所構成的「有效水能」基礎之上，並透過水車、飛輪與轉軸系統，將自然水力轉化為碾米動力。其建築空間亦非單純容納設備之容器，而是依循動力傳遞、生產流程與空間需求所形成的技術性結果。戰後，隨能源系統由水力逐漸轉向柴油與電力，建築與空間配置亦持續調整，反映地方技術系統在不同時代條件下的長期演化過程。
本研究認為，「芎林金玉豐精米所」真正重要的，不只是水車或碾米機械等設備本身，而是地方社會如何透過水利治理、能源利用、空間安排與操作經驗，形成一套可長期運作的「技術－制度－空間」系統。「科學文化載體」係指產業設施作為科學知識、技術實踐與制度運作之物質化承載形式；因此，文化資產的「科學價值」，應是對此類知識系統與技術運作意義之文化資產詮釋。基於此概念，產業文化資產之價值評估，應由形式保存轉向技術系統辨識，由事件敘事轉向運作邏輯分析，並由物件保存進一步邁向知識系統之理解與保存，以建立理解產業文化資產的「科學價值」之跨領域分析框架。

This study takes the historic building“Qionglin Jinyufeng Rice Mill”in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, as its primary case study to explore whether industrial facilities possess not only historical and architectural significance, but also a“scientific value”that has long been overlooked within cultural heritage discourse. The study points out that current research on industrial cultural heritage has mainly focused on historical narratives, architectural forms, and spatial preservation, while paying relatively little attention to how these industrial facilities actually operated. As a result, many rice mills have been preserved merely as“old buildings,”rather than being understood as integrated production systems involving technology, energy utilization, and local operational knowledge.
Through historical documents, map analysis, field investigation, and spatial observation, this study reconstructs the operational system of the“Qionglin Jinyufeng Rice Mill.”The findings reveal that the rice mill was originally established based on the stable water supply and elevation difference provided by the Xiashan Irrigation Canal. By using waterwheels, flywheels, and transmission shafts, natural hydraulic power was converted into the energy required for rice milling. Therefore, the building space was not simply designed to accommodate machinery, but was shaped according to the requirements of power transmission, production processes, and operational needs. After World War II, as energy sources gradually shifted from hydropower to diesel engines and electricity, both the building layout and equipment arrangement continued to change, reflecting the long-term evolution of local technology and production systems under different historical conditions.
This study argues that the true significance of the“Qionglin Jinyufeng Rice Mill”lies not only in the waterwheel or rice milling machinery themselves, but also in how local communities utilized irrigation systems, hydraulic power, spatial organization, and accumulated operational experience to establish a sustainable production system. Therefore, the preservation of industrial cultural heritage should not be limited to conserving buildings or machinery alone, but should further seek to understand the technological principles, production processes, and local knowledge embedded within these facilities. In other words, future cultural heritage research and preservation practices should place greater emphasis on the“scientific value of cultural heritage”embodied in industrial facilities, in addition to their historical and architectural significance.