Taipei Hotel Introduction
The Taipei Guest House, a building with architectural elegance that has spanned over a century, has always been at the core of Taiwan's politics. Its predecessor was the "Taiwan Governor-General's Official Residence" during the Japanese colonial period; after the restoration of Taiwan, it served as the residence of the provincial governor. In 1950, it was renamed the Taipei Guest House, becoming an important national 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 Guest House was built in 1899, designed by Japanese architects Kameo Rin and Nomura Ichirō; it underwent renovation in 1911, designed by Senmiyama Matsunosuke, shaping its current appearance. It was closed for the largest renovations since the restoration of Taiwan in 2002, which were completed in May 2006. With the progress of democratization in Taiwan, the Taipei Guest House opened to the public for the first time on July 4, 2006, allowing citizens to glimpse the century-old mystery of the building. The base of the Taipei Guest House is long in the east-west direction and rectangular in shape, with the main building facing south and constructed of brick, stone, and reinforced concrete as a two-story structure. Influenced by Western historical architectural styles introduced by Japan during the Meiji Restoration, the Taipei Guest House features a mansard roof, Greek gables, Roman columns, and elaborate Baroque-style decorations. It includes wide balconies on all sides, resembling the official buildings of European colonial cities in Southeast Asia. A terrace at the southeastern corner of the third floor offers views of parades and street scenes during festive occasions. Historically, the Taipei Guest House served not only as the governor's residence during the Japanese rule but also as a venue for official administrative and social gatherings. The first significant event after its completion was hosting Princess Fumiko, the wife of Prince Yoshihisa, who visited Taiwan in October 1901. Subsequently, it welcomed members of the imperial family, including Prince Yahiko, Prince Takamatsu, and Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Showa), with the most notable being the visit of Crown Prince Hirohito in 1923. During his stay, the main activities took place on the second floor of the official residence, where ceremonial greetings from officials and gentry were held. On the first day of his visit, the Governor arranged for him to ascend the stairs to the third floor, greeting the cheering crowd from the terrace. After the restoration of Taiwan, although the Taipei Guest House was no longer the governor's residence, it continued to be the primary venue for government meetings and hosting foreign guests, receiving numerous dignitaries, including Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke in 1957, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1981, former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2005, and the head of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, Chen Yunlin, in 2008. Furthermore, many important international treaties or agreements were signed in the banquet hall of the Taipei Guest House; the most significant was the "Treaty of Taipei" signed in 1952 by Foreign Minister Yeh Kung-chao and Japanese plenipotentiary Kawai Reki, which had a substantial impact on Taiwan's sovereignty. Other notable agreements included the "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" and the "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights" signed by President Ma Ying-jeou on May 14, 2009, symbolizing a significant step for Taiwan in integrating into the international human rights system and expanding international human rights cooperation. Reflecting on the history of the Taipei Guest House, it is clear that its value lies not solely in its centennial history; it is a building that ingeniously combines Eastern and Western cultures and has witnessed the changes in Taiwan over the past century. From any angle, every brick, tile, and piece of greenery in this building deserves our collective preservation and love.
