Chiayi City Historical Museum Introduction
The Historical Relics Museum of Chiayi, located within Chiayi Park, is filled with cultural and historical materials that vividly represent modern Taiwanese history. The Zhai Building covers an area of 267 square meters, while the Community Affairs Office has an area of 208 square meters. The two buildings are connected by a corridor, creating a sizable overall space with the central corridor as the connecting axis. The layout of this Japanese-style "shuyuan" structure is quite rare in the country, showcasing unique architectural elements and service functions, along with elegant artistic expression and high reference value in craftsmanship. The two buildings of the Historical Relics Museum follow the Japanese "shuyuan" architectural format, incorporating elements such as ceiling, sliding paper doors, and external corridors. The roofs adopt a "Irimoya" style, similar to the traditional Chinese Xieshan roof, and are adorned with Japanese architectural elements such as eaves, ridge, windbreaks, vertical ridges, and main ridges. The upper section of the outer wall features boat-shaped brackets (dou gong), while the lower part employs the "massive wall" format. The foundation is constructed in a low platform style, and the doors mainly use sliding doors, with only a few being push-pull. The windows consist of four types: fixed grilles with horizontal sliding glass, fixed grilles plus horizontal sliding glass, and sliding paper windows. The Zhai Building, Community Affairs Office, handwashing station, and ceremonial object storage are representative of the residential culture left by the Japanese, with the storage building featuring a concrete facade imitating wooden architecture, which is relatively unique. Later, the city government commissioned professional units to carry out restoration work based on principles such as "not altering the main structure," "preserving the original appearance," "restoring according to original architectural elements," and "considering compatibility with the park environment." Historical Tidbit: The two buildings of the Chiayi Historical Relics Museum were affiliated with the Chiayi Shrine during the Japanese colonial period, serving as the Zhai Building and Community Affairs Office. The Chiayi Historical Relics Museum is listed as a city-designated historic site, established in Showa 18 (1943). The Zhai Building was a place for purification and preparation before worshiping at the shrine, while the Community Affairs Office served as the management office for shrine administration. In October 1998, the two buildings were designated as a city historic site by the Chiayi City Government and named "Chiayi Historical Relics Museum." The museum was opened on September 15, 2001, showcasing the past and present of Chiayi's people and events, highlighting their splendor to inspire a sense of love and pride for the hometown among the public. The Historical Relics Museum is the best place to understand Chiayi's history. To truly know Chiayi, one should start with a visit to the Historical Relics Museum.
