Taipei Guest House Introduction
The Taipei Guest House, with its architectural elegance spanning over a century, has always been at the core of Taiwan's politics. Its predecessor was the "Governor-General's Official Residence" during the Japanese colonial period; after Taiwan's recovery, it served as the official residence of the provincial governor. In 1950, it was renamed the Taipei Guest House and became an important national venue for state banquets, foreign guest receptions, party and government meetings, and cultural events. In 1998, it was designated as a national historic monument by the Ministry of the Interior. The Taipei Guest House was built in 1899, designed by Japanese architects Hironobu Miyauchi and Ichiro Nomura; renovations in 1911 were designed by Matsunosuke Senzan, resulting in its current appearance. The building underwent extensive renovations, the largest since Taiwan's recovery, beginning in 2002 and completed in May 2006. With the process of democratization in Taiwan, the Taipei Guest House was opened to the general public for the first time on July 4, 2006, allowing citizens to glimpse the century-old mystery of the Taipei Guest House. The Taipei Guest House's site is long in the east-west direction, rectangular in shape, and the main building faces south. It is a two-story structure made of brick and stone, reinforced concrete. 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 ornate Baroque-style decorations. It has wide balconies on all four sides, resembling official buildings in European colonial cities in Southeast Asia. A terrace in the southeastern corner of the third floor provides a view of parade processions and street scenes during festivals. Historical Background: During Japanese rule, the Taipei Guest House served as both the governor's residence and a venue for administrative office work and social receptions. The first major event after its completion was welcoming Princess Fumiko, the wife of Prince Yoshihisa Takamatsu, who visited Taiwan in October 1901. Subsequently, it hosted various royal figures, including Prince Kan'in, Prince Kuni, Prince Chichibu, Prince Takamatsu, and Prince Lee of Changde Palace, with the most notable event being the visit of Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Showa) to Taiwan in 1923. During his stay at the governor's residence, the main activity space was on the second floor, where official ceremonies were held in the large reception room. On the first day of his visit, the governor arranged for him to ascend the spiral staircase to the third floor and receive cheers from the parade crowd on the terrace. After Taiwan's recovery, although the Taipei Guest House was no longer the governor's residence, it remained a primary venue for government meetings and hosting foreign guests. Numerous dignitaries have been received on the first floor of the Taipei Guest House, 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 Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, in 2008. Additionally, important international treaties and agreements have been signed in the banquet hall of the Taipei Guest House, notably the "Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security" signed on April 28, 1952, by Foreign Minister Yeh Kung-chao and Japanese plenipotentiary Kawai Retsu, which significantly pertains to Taiwan's sovereignty status. Later notable agreements include the signing of the "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" and the "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights" by President Ma Ying-jeou on May 14, 2009, symbolizing a significant step in Taiwan's integration into the international human rights framework and expanding international human rights cooperation. Reflecting on the history of the Taipei Guest House, it is evident that its value lies not only in its century-long history but also in its status as a clever amalgamation of Eastern and Western cultures, witnessing the magnificent changes in Taiwan over the past century. From any perspective, every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, and every tree here deserves our collective love and preservation.
