Taipei Guest House Introduction
The Taipei Guesthouse, with its architectural elegance that has stood the test of a century, has always been the core of Taiwanese politics. Its predecessor was the "Governor-General's Official Residence" during the Japanese colonial period; after Taiwan's retrocession, it served as the residence of the provincial governor. In 1950, it was renamed Taipei Guesthouse and became an important venue for state banquets, hosting foreign guests, party and government meetings, and cultural activities. In 1998, it was designated a national historic site by the Ministry of the Interior. The Taipei Guesthouse was constructed in 1899, designed by Japanese architects Kuniya Rin and Nomura Ichiro; renovations in 1911 undertaken by architect Muroya Matsunosuke gave it its current appearance. A major renovation, the largest since Taiwan's retrocession, began in 2002 and was completed in May 2006. With the progress of Taiwan's democratization, on July 4, 2006, the Taipei Guesthouse was opened to the public for the first time, allowing the public to glimpse the guesthouse's century-old mysterious character. The base of the Taipei Guesthouse is long and rectangular in shape, oriented north-south, and consists of a two-story building made of brick, stone, and reinforced concrete. Influenced by Western architectural styles introduced after the Meiji Restoration in Japan, the Taipei Guesthouse features a mansard roof, Greek gables, Roman columns, and ornate Baroque-style decorations. It has wide balconies on all four sides, resembling the official buildings in Southeast Asia's European colonial cities. There is a balcony at the southeast corner of the third floor, from which one can view parades and street scenes during festivals. Historically, the Taipei Guesthouse served not only as the Governor's residence during the Japanese colonial period but also as a venue for administrative office work and social receptions. One of its first major events was the reception of Princess Tokugawa Yoshiko, who visited Taiwan in October 1901. Subsequently, it hosted numerous royal family members, including Prince Yoshihito of the Shinkan'en Palace, Prince Kuniyoshi of the Kuniyoshi Palace, Prince Yorin of the Chichibu Palace, Prince Sayuki of the Takamatsu Palace, and Prince Li of Changde Palace. Among these events, the most significant was the visit of Crown Prince Hirohito (who later became Emperor Showa) in 1923. During his stay at the Governor's official residence, most activities took place on the second floor, where official receptions were held in the grand hall, and on the first day of the visit, the governor arranged for him to ascend the spiral staircase to the third floor and receive cheers from the parade crowd on the balcony. After Taiwan's retrocession, although the Taipei Guesthouse was no longer the Governor's residence, it remained a key place for government meetings and entertaining foreign guests. Every president has hosted numerous distinguished guests on the first floor of the Taipei Guesthouse, with notable figures including Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi in 1957, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1981, former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2005, and Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chen Yunlin in 2008. Moreover, many important international treaties and agreements were signed in the banquet hall of the Taipei Guesthouse, the most significant being the "Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the Republic of China" signed in 1952 by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yeh Kung-chao and Japan's plenipotentiary representative, Kawai Retsu, which greatly impacted Taiwan's sovereignty status. More recently, on May 14, 2009, President Ma Ying-jeou signed the "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" and the "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights," symbolizing Taiwan's important steps toward integration into the international human rights system and expanding international human rights cooperation. Reflecting on the years the Taipei Guesthouse has experienced, it is evident that its value lies not only in its century-long history; it is an architectural masterpiece that skillfully combines Eastern and Western cultures, witnessing the splendid changes in Taiwan over the past century. From any perspective, every brick, tile, and blade of grass here deserves our collective care and preservation.
