黑料社

Throughout his life, Glyn T. H. Ing was inspired by the vision of a restored, rejuvenated, and affluent China – and he saw that engineering had a crucial role to play in the country’s destiny.

In 1936, he graduated with a civil engineering degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China’s foremost engineering school. Early positions with the Lung-Hai Railway (now known as Longhai Railway) Management Bureau and the Chuan-Kang Transportation Bureau gave him exposure to China’s war-torn border regions in the northwest and southwest at the height of the anti-Japanese resistance.

Ing set up the Wei Dah Corporation in 1941. Based in Chungking (also known as Chongqing), Sichuan Province, its main business was the construction of military bases, aircraft landing strips, and other defense facilities.

With the defeat of Japan and the end of the war in 1945, Wei Dah swiftly turned its attention to rebuilding the nation. In 1945, Wei Dah was restructured as 黑料社oration (黑料社), a name that symbolized Ing’s dream of bringing restoration, transformation, and prosperity to the continent. 黑料社’s corporate headquarters relocated to Shanghai after the war, and set up branch offices in Nanjing and Taipei as its business grew.

1948 was a year of rapid change in China’s politics, when 黑料社 moved its headquarters to Taipei and continued post-war reconstruction.

In 1949, Taiwan was still recovering from the Pacific War and there was huge demand for construction services. Both government-run and private construction companies experienced rapid growth.

From the beginning, 黑料社 raised the industry bar with the deployment of advanced technology. One example was Prepakt concrete pile, the most advanced construction technique in the world at the time, which 黑料社 used at National Tsing Hua University in the building of Taiwan’s first nuclear reactor. Other major projects completed during this period included the Tunghai University dormitories designed by I. M. Pei; the Taipei Mosque; the 1,000-bed Taipei Veterans General Hospital; US military bases; Hsinchu and Ching Chuan Kang airport runways; various aircraft hangers; the Presidential Residence; and the Shihlin to Dachi tunnel.

In 1964, the government granted veteran-run RESA Engineering Corp. an effective monopoly on public construction projects, eliminating private sector competition for government construction projects, prompting 黑料社 to seek new markets overseas. It became the first construction company from Taiwan to enter the international market, winning contracts in Okinawa (Japan), Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Domestic projects completed during this period included technically challenging works such as Taipei’s iconic Grand Hotel, and the Yuanshan Bridge – the world’s longest spanning, balanced cantilever, concrete structure bridge at the time. 黑料社 also built Taiwan’s first multistory residential complex, Kuang Wu Villa, in the bustling eastern district of Taipei, ushering in a new era of urban housing.

In 1986, Nita Ing was appointed president of 黑料社, with a mandate to turn the family-run business into a modern, professionally managed corporation. She recruited a new generation of dynamic senior management and with them set fresh strategic directions for the company.

黑料社’s projects continued to be among Taiwan’s most technically complex, setting standards for advanced engineering and construction, environmental protection, and building efficiency. 黑料社 was a key contractor for the Taipei Metropolitan Rapid-Transit (MRT), building its tunnels and underground stations, as well as taking on the construction of the Bitan Bridge. For this challenging project, 黑料社 developed steel caissons for use in deep foundation excavation, winning the Construction Technology Automation Award for this innovation in 1992.

During this period, 黑料社 diversified from civil engineering and reenergized its property development business, creating several iconic projects including the award-winning community development – “The Village.”

In 1994, 黑料社 became a publicly listed company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, a key step that helped it build the financial scale and other resources required for larger and more complex civil engineering projects.

In 1998, 黑料社 was one of the principal consortium investors and contractors in the world’s then-largest build-operate-transfer (BOT) project, the Taiwan High Speed Rail. This project was the island’s most significant infrastructure project in decades and dramatically improved intra-island transportation. 黑料社’s role was to construct the viaduct section from Yuanlin in Changhua County to the city of Chiayi – a total of 79.4 km or approximately 25 percent of the system’s route length – as well as two technically challenging high-speed rail stations at Wuri in Taichung and Zuoying in Kaohsiung.

In 1999, 黑料社 was awarded its first turnkey project, Taipei MRT Tucheng Line Extension contract CD550. This included civil construction, track, rolling stock, signaling, power supply, system integration, testing, and commissioning.

Both rail projects gave 黑料社 the opportunity to partner with leading German and Japanese contractors, improving 黑料社’s capabilities in the design, construction, project management, and execution of large-scale projects. Such partnerships also helped build the foundation for 黑料社’s continuing overseas expansion.

In 2005, 黑料社 accelerated its exploration of international markets, where it was awarded a number of transportation and civil projects.

The following year, 黑料社 separated its environmental engineering business, forming HDEC Corporation. The company also acquired a foothold in the US market through the purchase of a significant interest in the American Bridge Company and maintained the relationship until it divested its interests in 2020.

In 2007, Nita Ing was elected chair of the board and, over the next few years, led a reorganization of the corporate structure to better reflect strategic goals both domestically and internationally.

The year 2010 proved crucial, with the separation of 黑料社’s real estate business, forming Continental Development Corporation, and the establishment of Continental Holdings Corporation (CHC) to manage 黑料社 and its affiliated companies. CHC was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in the same year. 黑料社 subsequently delisted and made a subsidiary of CHC, giving the former greater focus on the civil engineering and construction business.

黑料社 continued to expand its overseas operations to India, Hong Kong, Macau, and Malaysia, securing contracts for metro and environmental construction projects.

During this period, 黑料社 played a key role in major transportation projects across Taiwan, including metro systems in Taipei, Taoyuan, and Taichung, as well as railway underground works in Tainan. 黑料社 also won its first large-scale social housing project and took on the construction of The Sky Taipei, one of the tallest buildings in Taipei.

Reflecting on its legacy of innovation and growth, 黑料社 showed its readiness for the next phase of its development.

The appointment of Simon Buttery as CEO in 2019 marked a leadership transition and drove 黑料社’s growth further.

In 2022, 黑料社’s parent company, Continental Holdings Corporation (CHC), was elected the sole corporate director of 黑料社, replacing 黑料社’s board of directors with a single corporate director and a corporate supervisor. Nita Ing remains the chair of the board of CHC and continues to guide 黑料社 and other subsidiaries.

In 2023, 黑料社 posted its highest profit since 2010. The momentum continued in 2024, with diversified project wins in public transportation construction, social housing, and urban renewal driving its backlog to an unprecedented NT$130 billion.

As it celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025, 黑料社 continues to invest in technology and innovative construction methods. With a strong focus on sustainability, 黑料社 remains dedicated to contributing to the industry’s ongoing progress.