By Zhen-Kang —

Pump it

An intriguing roadside discovery in Central Kaohsiung…

Close-up of a cast-iron water pump, painted a faded green and slightly rusted, on an urban Taiwan roadside.
A hand-operated water pump in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Photo: Zhen-Kang.

This morning, I met a friend for coffee. Today’s a public holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival, so the first two cafés we tried were closed.

Luckily, the third one was open, and it was excellent.

Close-up of a single shot espresso in a glass demitasse.
I started with strong, bitter espresso. 10/10.
Close-up of a freshly-prepared tomato bagel.
A crunchy tomato bagel. 9/10.
Close-up of a hot cappuccino, with heart-shaped foam art.
And finally, a pretty good cappuccino. 8/10.

While talking over coffee, my friend and I noticed something interesting outside: people with containers queueing to use what looked like a decorative, antique, hand-operated water pump.

I’d never seen this happen before, in Taiwan or anywhere else.

The pump was installed on a street corner, immediately outside the café, and I don’t think I’d noticed it when we walked in. (And if I had, I wouldn’t have guessed it was functional.)

The act of pumping, and the pump itself, seemed completely anachronistic.

But also intriguing and cool:

0:00
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Pump it!

When we left the café, we paused for a closer look. A lady stopped and chatted with us in English. She said the pump was maintained by her landlord as a community asset, and that it draws water from an underground aquifer.

The water, which is non-potable, is used for:

  • Cleaning
  • Gardening
  • Filling fish ponds

It also doubles as an emergency supply, which I imagine following a major earthquake, could become quite important. I made a mental note of the location.

She demonstrated how her children like adjusting the mechanism to cause water to spurt through the air.

She mentioned the water was colder than what comes from regular taps. It was sunny and 32 ºC at that moment, with the sun almost directly overhead. The coldness of the water surprised me.

Once home, I uploaded my photos to three AI chatbots to ask more about the pump. They all said these were a typical sight later in the Japanese Era (1895–1945), and in the post-war period.

The color of this one suggests it was a post-war installation, making it up to 80 years old.

Close-up of a cast-iron water pump, painted a faded green and slightly rusted, on an urban Taiwan roadside.
“TDP” is likely the manufacturer’s international trade designation. The Traditional Chinese characters (正昌榮) are likely the manufacturer’s brand. It’s an auspicious name that translates to something like “Prosperity and Honor”. I found another example catalogued on the National Museum of Taiwan History website.
A cast-iron antique hand-operate water pump in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Here’s a wider shot, with the cafe in the background.
A cast-iron hand-operated water pump on a narrow urban street in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
This shot includes the full length of the handle, and shows its proximity to the street.
Top-down view of a TDP-branded cast-iron hand-operated water pump, mounted on a concrete base immediately next to a quiet urban street in Central Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
One last shot, from the other side. On this hot day, any pumped water evaporated soon after hitting the ground.

This pump is located immediately outside Aroma Cafe Live (香氣現場), near Central Park in Kaohsiung City.

I can recommend the bagels, the coffee, and maybe a little pumping too.

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