Zhongping Road Story House Introduction
The Zhongping Road Story House is tucked away in the bustling Zhongping commercial district. Originally built as a Japanese-style dormitory for civil servants, the building features original materials from the colonial era, such as roof tiles, window lattices, sliding doors, and beams, which reflect the living conditions of local residents during Japanese rule. In 2010, the building was registered as a historical site and, after being renovated and restored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan City Government, it now combines art exhibitions, cultural experiences, and creative products, offering guided tours for groups that provide a glimpse into life in Zhongli from the Japanese colonial period to the agricultural era. The Zhongping Road Story House is a historically rich Japanese-style duplex that was constructed in 1930. Originally a duplex dormitory for Japanese civil servants, it occupies approximately 30 pings. Two families, including Mr. Wang Guozhi, who served as the head of the Mountain Affairs Division, and Mr. Liao Yunchuan from the Education Bureau, lived here over four generations, creating a space filled with rich family emotions and historical memories. The most valuable aspect of this old house is its cultural preservation; after the original residents moved out in 2007, it was designated as a historical building in 2010. To activate and repurpose the old house, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan City began renovating the space in 2013 over nearly two years, reopening in May 2015 as "Zhongping Road Story House." With the theme "One Corner, One Story," the house preserving its original elegance, including a well-preserved kitchen, coal from the cellar, the everyday life of raising pigs in the backyard, memories of cooling watermelons in a well, and an indoor tatami layout. These elements rekindle the warm memories of a bygone era, making the Zhongping Road Story House a living monument. The Zhongping Road Story House not only guides visitors through the cultural aspects of the old house via various story corners but also features regular exhibitions of old photographs, artifacts from the past, and creative spaces, as well as cultural exhibitions, public lectures, and Hakka cultural experiences. These plans invite visitors to explore every corner of the story house and listen to the memories of the old building. At the Zhongping Road Story House, amidst the atmosphere of heritage, visitors are encouraged to reflect on the history of the past and, while reminiscing about the stories of the old house, share their own stories for the house to treasure, thus completing the puzzle of memories from those days.
