Changhua Bank Headquarters and Historical Museum Introduction
The Changhua Bank headquarters, located at the intersection of Taiwan Boulevard and Freedom Road in Taichung, was built during the Japanese colonial era. The architecture imitates the ancient Greek and Roman colonnade style, boasting a magnificent appearance and exquisite craftsmanship. It is a famous landmark in Taichung, designated as a municipal historic site, and is also one of the earliest banks established through private fundraising in Taiwan, holding significant cultural heritage preservation and research value. It is still used as the operating department of the Changhua branch, and the second floor features a bank history museum that preserves historical documents from that time, available for visits by appointment. During the Qing Dynasty, the phenomenon of dual land ownership was severe. The Governor-General’s Office during the Japanese era implemented large-scale public bonds to resolve rental rights issues; however, due to poor compensation conditions, these bonds were unpopular among the public, leading many to sell out for cash. To maintain the credibility of the public bonds, officials were dispatched for purchases, and local individuals were encouraged to utilize public bonds for business ventures. In this context, in 1905, Wu Ru-xiang from Changhua gathered local gentry from central Taiwan to raise 220,000 yen in compensation fund as capital to establish “Changhua Bank.” Gu Xian-rong from Lukang was also elected as a supervisor. Later, due to environmental needs, the bank moved to Taichung City, making it one of the few large commercial banks with its headquarters in central Taiwan. The new headquarters was constructed in 1936, now the Changhua Bank in Taichung, designed by Hiroshi Haya and Kizaburo Hatakeyama, featuring neoclassical architecture in a Western style with elegant decorative carvings, rounded concrete columns, and heavy, rustic iron doors. The high interior design showcases the aesthetic of banking architecture at that time. After Taiwan's retrocession, the National Government took over the shares of the former Japanese shareholders, and in 1947, Lin Xian-tang was elected as chairman and reorganized as “Changhua Commercial Bank.” In 1998, it was transformed from a state-owned and private shareholding bank to a private enterprise. In the garden near Freedom Road, there is also a bronze statue commemorating Lin Xian-tang standing amidst the greenery, which is worth a visit.
