Songyuan Villa Introduction
The Songyuan Villa was built around the 32nd year of the Republic of China and once served as the office for the "Army Affairs Department" of Hualien Port. It was surrounded by nearby locations such as the "Broadcasting Station" (now the Hualien Station of China Broadcasting Corporation), the "Coastal Radio Station" (now Chunghwa Telecom), and the waterworks (now the Meilun Water Purification Plant of the Water Supply Corporation), all connected by dense pine forests. With a direct view of the beautiful entrance of Meilun River into the sea at the North Beach, it boasts a natural high vantage point, allowing for a panoramic view of the confluence of Meilun River, Hualien Port, and the Pacific Ocean. This strategic location made it easy to monitor ships entering and leaving the southern coastline and aircraft taking off and landing at the Southern Airport. The dense coverage of pine needles provided ample shade like a large umbrella, establishing it as an important military command center for the Japanese army in Hualien. After the end of the war, this area was taken over by the Nationalist government and served as a leisure retreat for U.S. military advisory officers. Subsequently, it has been managed by the Veterans Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan to this day. In 2000, the Hualien County Government designated Songyuan as a "Historical Landscape Special Zone." In 2001, it was selected as one of the pilot sites for the "Reuse of Idle Spaces" initiative by the Council for Cultural Affairs and has been included in the "One Hundred Historical Sites of Taiwan."
