Tamsui Red House Introduction
The Tamsui Red Castle, named for its colonial-style red brick architecture, was built in 1895 and completed in 1899. It has undergone several renovations, changing from the Red Castle to the Yellow Castle, but after renovations by the current owner in 2000, it returned to its Red Castle appearance and was converted into the Red Castle Restaurant. Although it is not officially designated as a historic site by the government, its construction and renovation history symbolize the prosperity of Tamsui during its golden age and bear witness to the development of Tamsui over the past century. The Tamsui Red Castle features brick arcades on three sides, making it a very beautiful building; at the time, only the consulate of Fort San Domingo could compare in scale. One of its owners was the well-known Taiwanese writer Hong Yi-nan, who named it "Daguan Lou" because from this vantage point, one can overlook Tamsui, with views stretching from Guandu to Fort San Domingo and Tamsui Harbor, offering an expansive scenery that evokes a sense of broad-mindedness. Many photographs of the ports and streets during the Japanese occupation were taken from this building. The Red Castle stands on the hillside of the old street, giving a sense of seclusion. The path from the old street to the Red Castle features a narrow staircase alley, about wide enough for just two people, which reportedly has a total of 106 steps—an interesting fact to verify while exploring the route to the Red Castle.
