Wisteria House Introduction
Wisteria Tea House is a tea house, but it is not just a tea house; it is the first designated historical monument in Taiwan and the first living historical monument in Taipei defined by its humanistic spirit and public space significance. It has been a gathering place for Taiwan's democracy movements, opposition movements, and free scholars, exuding a sense of culture that embodies educational, cultural, and political functions and characteristics, strongly reflecting the significance of civic life and holding preservation value. Wisteria Tea House is an elegant wooden building in an area of traditional Japanese residences, built in the 1920s, with its own courtyard, in a tranquil and refined environment. After the war, it was taken over by the Ministry of Finance and later turned into a tea house by the descendants of the residents, named for the old wisteria that extends along the eaves of the house. The entire building is filled with a literary atmosphere, attracting many individuals concerned with political affairs, avant-garde culture, and artists who often gather here, thus gradually becoming a metonym for liberalism and social and political reform movements. To highlight the cultural value of Wisteria Tea House, it was designated as a historical monument in 1997 through the efforts of arts and cultural circles, not due to the age of the tree or the building, but for its spirit. (Part of the information source: Wisteria Tea House)
