Chiayi City Historical Relics Museum Introduction
The Time Tunnel Historical Museum in Chiayi is located within Chiayi Park, rich in cultural and historical materials, serving as a microcosm of Taiwan's modern history. The Zhaiguan building has an area of 267 square meters, while the Community Affairs Office covers 208 square meters. The two buildings are connected by a corridor, and when viewed from the central corridor as the connecting axis, they form a relatively large overall space. The overall structure of this Japanese-style "Shuyuan" construction is quite rare in the country, showcasing uniqueness, elegant artistic expression, and high craftsmanship value. The two buildings of the Historical Museum are in the Japanese "Shuyuan" architectural style, featuring elements such as ceilings, sliding paper doors, and external corridors. The roof adopts an "irumoya" style, resembling the traditional Chinese "xie shan" style, with eaves, ridges, windbreaks, and vertical ridges all utilizing Japanese architectural elements. The upper part of the external walls is adorned with boat-shaped wooden brackets (dougong), while the lower portion employs the "shinboku" style. The foundation is built in a low dry-lintel method, with most doors being sliding doors, and only a few being push-pull doors; the windows include glass sliding windows with fixed grids, fixed grids plus glass sliding windows, and paper sliding windows, among four types. Zhaiguan, Community Affairs Office, Handwashing Pavilion, and Shrine Artifact Repository represent the residential culture left by the Japanese, with the repository having a unique concrete facade imitating wooden construction. The Chiayi City Government later commissioned a professional agency to restore the buildings based on principles such as "not altering the main structure," "retaining the original appearance," "restoring according to original architectural elements," and "considering integration with the park environment." Historical Encyclopedia: The two buildings of the Chiayi City Historical Museum are the Zhaiguan and Community Affairs Office affiliated with the Chiayi Shrine during the Japanese colonial period. The Chiayi City Historical Museum was designated as a municipal historic site and established in 1943 (Showa 18). The Zhaiguan served as a place for rituals and preparations before offerings to the shrine, while the Community Affairs Office was the administrative office of the shrine. In October 1998, both buildings were recognized as municipal historic sites by the Chiayi City Government and named "Chiayi City Historical Museum." The museum officially opened on September 15, 2001, displaying the people and events related to Chiayi, intertwining the past and present to present their respective glories and inspire citizens' love for their hometown. The Historical Museum is the best place to understand the history of Chiayi. To know Chiayi, start by visiting the Historical Museum.
