Ethnic Music Hall (Sun Liren Memorial Hall) Introduction
The Ethnic Music Hall was originally an air force guesthouse and the residence of General Sun Li-jen, covering an area of 1,017 ping (approximately 3,383 square meters) and built around 1937. Its architectural form and spatial structure reflect the blend of Japanese and Western styles characteristic of the Japanese colonial period, making it one of the important architectural cultural assets in Pingtung City. After being acquired by the Pingtung County Government, it was repurposed into the Ethnic Music Hall with the vision of promoting ethnic music, transforming the space into an outdoor performance area, garden cafe, cultural relic exhibition hall, small performing arts theater, and collection room, allowing visitors to enjoy fragrant coffee and melodious music. The Ethnic Music Hall features a vast area with lush greenery, and its buildings are also notable historical architecture, made from materials such as cedar, cypress, and fir wood. During its time as an air force guesthouse and General Sun Li-jen's residence, the front building served as a two-story western-style house for hosting guests, while the back building was a Japanese-style residence for domestic life, which is still well maintained today. Given that there are not many distinctive historical buildings in Pingtung City, the mission to preserve the Ethnic Music Hall arose to prevent General Sun Li-jen's residence from facing demolition due to urban development, alongside the goal of promoting local music culture. The types of music studied in the hall include Hengchun folk songs, Manchurian folk songs, Hakka mountain songs, and indigenous ballads, while also enhancing cooperation and exchange with music associations, local cultural and historical societies, music departments, and cultural workers, continuously encouraging music creation and developing diverse musical forms.
