Songyuan Villa Introduction
The Songyuan Villa was approximately built in 1943 and once served as the office for the "Military Affairs Department" in Hualien Harbor. It is connected by pine forests to nearby locations such as the "Broadcast Station" (now known as the Hualien Branch of Chung Hwa Telecom), the "Coastal Radio Station" (now Chung Hua Telecom), and the waterworks (now the Meilun Water Purification Plant). Due to its vantage point facing the beautiful mouth of Meilun River at the North Beach, it holds a natural strategic advantage, offering views overlooking the mouth of Meilun River, Hualien Harbor, and the Pacific Ocean. It allows for easy monitoring of vessels entering and leaving the southern coastal waters as well as aircraft taking off and landing at the Southern Airport. With the dense cover of pine needles providing ample shade, it served as an important military command center for the Japanese army in Hualien. After the war, the area was taken over by the Nationalist government's military and was once used as a leisure retreat for U.S. military advisors. It has since been managed by the Veterans Affairs Commission of the Executive Yuan. In 2000, the Hualien County Government designated Songyuan as a "Historical Style Special Zone." In 2001, it was selected as one of the trial sites for the "Reuse of Idle Spaces" by the Council for Cultural Affairs and was included in "Taiwan's 100 Historical Sites."
