Historical Materials Related to Taking Back Commissioned Lands for Improvement and Utilization In 1936 (the 11th year of Showa Japan), in order to be in line with Japan’s military southward advance policy, Taiwan Sotokufu established the TAIWAN DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD. (“TAIWAN DEVELOPMENT”) to develop various business in areas of exploration, colonization, industry and commerce, and mining. TAIWAN DEVELOPMENT owned more than 15,000 hectares of fertile land in Taiwan, and Taiwan Sotokufu handed over more than 14,000 hectares of public wasteland to TAIWAN DEVELOPMENT for development. These public lands were called “business lands”. After the retrocession of Taiwan, the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office took over the properties of TAIWAN DEVELOPMENT, and handed over 13,000 hectares of business land to the Land Bank of Taiwan for operation. After the establishment of the National Property Bureau in 1960 (which was adjusted to National Property Administration (NPA) on January 1, 2013), such lands continued to be commissioned to the Land Bank of Taiwan for operation in a self-sufficient manner. Meanwhile, the Land Bank of Taiwan was successively commissioned with more lands, including the transfer of the Daren Farm in Taitung County, Zhongpu Forest Farm in Chiayi County, Hegang and Luohe Reclamation Areas in Hualien County, and tidal land in Mailiao Township in Yunlin County. Most of the public lands taken over by the Land Bank of Taiwan were located in poor and remote rural areas with inconvenient transportation. The available lands were only 1,732 hectares at the time of the take-over. The Land Bank of Taiwan had successively guided farmers, proceeded with cadastral management, leasing counseling, and technical services, and established several demonstration farms. In aspects of operations of agriculture, animal husbandry, tea, and mulberry, there were six demonstration farms, namely Antong Farm, Nanao Farm, Chulu Ranch, Hefeng Ranch, Hegang Tea Factory, and Chishang Sericulture Farm. Moreover, in the aspect of operations of forest, there were four forest farms, namely Daren Farm, Dulan Forest Farm, Nanhua Farm and Zhongpu Forest Farm. Before 1991, the above-mentioned farms were independently operated by the Land Bank of Taiwan through the method of “cultivating the land with the land”. Starting in 1991, the Land Bank of Taiwan, as an acting administrator, managed the national farmland budget, and incorporated such budget into the budget of the “National Property Development Fund” for implementation. In 1999, the Fund was abolished by resolution of the Legislative Yuan, and the related business were returned to the administrative department. In response to the relevant changes, the National Property Bureau proposed a “Plan for Recovering National Lands Operated by the Land Bank of Taiwan, an acting administrator” which was signed by the Ministry of Finance and forwarded to the Executive Yuan, along with Letter No. Tai-Cai-Chan-III-87008403 dated April 27, 1998. In Letter No. Tai-(88)-Zhong-Shou-zi-01175 dated February 12, 1999 from the Executive Yuan, the submitted Plan was approved in principle. Based on such Plan, a total of 50,060 pieces of national lands operated by the Land Bank of Taiwan, as acting administrator, were recovered, with a total area of 18,300 hectares. After taking back the relevant national lands, the National Property Bureau actively strengthened the joint improvement and utilization of national properties with the private sector, to create higher values therein. A good successful example is Chulu Ranch, which covered 115 parcels of land, including No. 335, Chulu Section, Beinan Township, Taitung County, etc., with a total area of 71 hectares. Initially, Chulu Ranch was first commissioned by the National Property Bureau to the Land Bank of Taiwan for the planting of high-value crops, such as citrus fruit trees, etc. Later, cooperation between Chulu Ranch and TAIWAN SUGAR CORP. was undertaken for the operation of the “Eastern Agricultural Promotion and Agricultural Development Center”. Since 1962, with the assistance of the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR) and the Agriculture and Forestry Department, cattle raising on hillsides had been developed. Taitung Chulu Demonstration Ranch was established, and Dutch dairy cows were imported, thus forming a unique local landscape. On March 22, 2005, Chaoneng Biochemical Technology Co., Ltd. won the bid for 30-year management rights at the price of at least TWD 43.33 million to the National Treasury in annual operating royalties. During the commissioned operation period, the royalty payables are to be adjusted according to the price index. At present, Chulu Ranch has been planned as a multi-functional ecological park, including maple forest trails, forest bathing areas, dairy cow ecological areas, Chulu horse farm, etc. Together with the rich tourism resources around Taitung County, not only have the revenues of the National Treasury increased, but also the national property has been enabled to reach diverse values through more effective management.