The Eiffel Tower’s Secret Connection to Taiwan

by Panzer
What comes to mind when you think of France?
Most likely the Eiffel Tower,
that iron tower which, for more than a century,
has watched over the French capital.
Behind this iron silhouette stands a man,
Gustave Eiffel.
Engineering genius
Daring entrepreneur
He did more than just erect a tower.
He designed bridges,
built viaducts,
and shaped structures that defy time and space.
And yet, his sometimes forgotten legacy,
still stands across all four corners of the world,
thousands of miles from Paris,
including here in Taiwan.
It's on this mythical central road
crossing Taiwan from west to east,
carved into rock between sea and mountains,
winding through untamed nature,
that suspended above the void,
metal bridges bearing the Eiffel Tower logo stand proudly.
Witnesses to history
An unexpected, almost forgotten heritage
that connects France to Taiwan.
Gustave Eiffel
This name sounds familiar, doesn't it?
A name engraved in the history of engineering.
Born in Dijon in 1832,
he became one of the greatest builders of his time.
His genius? Iron.
Bold, light and resistant structures.
He graduated from the École Centrale Paris,
beginning his career in railway engineering,
and, at 26,
he supervised his first major project:
the Bordeaux bridge.
A revelation.
From then on, he tackled one challenge after another: