Chiayi City Historical Museum Introduction
The Time Tunnel Historical Data Museum in Chiayi is located within Chiayi Park, which is rich in cultural and historical materials, serving as a microcosm of Taiwan's modern history. The Zhai Hall covers an area of 267 square meters, while the Social Affairs Office covers 208 square meters. The two buildings are connected by a corridor, which, when considered as a central axis, forms a rather large overall space. The architectural layout of this Japanese "Shuyuan-style" structure, along with its building elements and functional services, is quite rare in the country, showcasing uniqueness, elegant artistic expression, and high reference value in craftsmanship. These two buildings of the Historical Data Museum belong to the Japanese "Shuyuan-style" architectural form, featuring elements such as ceilings, sliding paper doors, and external corridors. The roofs are of the "Irimoya" style, similar to the traditional Chinese "Xieshan" roof, with eaves, ridges, gable ends, and vertical ridges utilizing Japanese architectural elements. The upper part of the building's exterior walls has ship-shaped brackets, while the lower half adopts the "Mabukiya" style. The foundation uses a low-style platform, and in terms of doors and windows, most doors are sliding doors, with only a few being push-pull doors; the windows include fixed lattice windows with horizontal sliding glass windows and paper sliding windows, among others. The Zhai Hall, Social Affairs Office, Chozuya (water ablution place), and ritual implements storage are representatives of the residential culture left by the Japanese, with the ritual implements storage featuring a concrete facade imitating wooden architecture, which is quite unique. Later, the city government commissioned professional units to restore the buildings based on principles such as "not changing the main structure," "preserving the original appearance," "restoring according to original architectural elements," and "considering compatibility with the park environment." **Historical Trivia**: The two buildings of the Chiayi Historical Data Museum are the Zhai Hall and Social Affairs Office affiliated with the Chiayi Shrine during the Japanese occupation. The Chiayi Historical Data Museum is designated as a municipal historic site, established in the 18th year of the Showa era (1943). The Zhai Hall served as a place for ritual purification and preparation before visiting the shrine, while the Social Affairs Office was the administrative office for the shrine. In October of the 87th year of the Republic of China, the two buildings were officially recognized as municipal historic sites by the Chiayi City Government and named the "Chiayi Historical Data Museum". The museum was opened on September 15 of the 90th year, showcasing displays related to the people of Chiayi and the history of Chiayi City, intertwining the past and present to present their respective splendors, thus inspiring a sense of love for one’s hometown. The Historical Data Museum is the best place to learn about Chiayi's history. To understand Chiayi, one should start by visiting the Historical Data Museum.
