The next governor, Shao You-lien, arguing that it was necessary to reduce expenditures and give the people a rest, halted many of the projects pushed so actively by Liu. The academies of Western and aboriginal learning were closed, and the railroad was thought to be too difficult to maintain or extend. Thus ended Taiwan's brief period of innovative construction.
劉銘傳雖政績卓著，可惜繼任的沈應奎職務屬代理性質，任期不到一年，談不上有何作為；接下來的邵友濂更以與民休息、節省經費為由，將劉銘傳所有積極建設全部停止，西學堂、番學堂撤廢了，鐵路工程也因嫌太難而不繼續修建，台灣一新耳目的建設期，就此結束。