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 retrocession, 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 historical site by the Ministry of the Interior. Constructed in 1899 and designed by Japanese architects Kin Yamauchi and Ichiro Nomura, the Taipei Guest House underwent a renovation designed by Matsunosuke Senzan in 1911, giving it its current appearance. A significant restoration, the largest since Taiwan's retrocession, took place from 2002 to 2006. With the progress of Taiwan's democratization, the Taipei Guest House opened its doors to the public for the first time on July 4, 2006, allowing citizens a glimpse into its century-old mystery. The building is rectangular, oriented north-south, and is a two-story structure made of brick, stone, and reinforced concrete. Influenced by Western historical styles introduced to 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 sides, resembling official buildings in colonial cities of Southeast Asia. On the southeast corner of the third floor, there is a terrace where one can watch parade floats and view the street during festivals. Historically, during the Japanese colonial period, the Taipei Guest House served not only as the governor's residence but also as a venue for administrative work and social receptions. One of its first notable events was hosting Princess Fumiko, the wife of Prince Yoshihisa of Takamatsu, who visited Taiwan in October 1901. Subsequently, it hosted many members of the royal family, including Prince Sadaijin, Prince Kuniyoshi of Chiku, Prince Yōjiri of Chichibu, Prince Naruhiko of Takamatsu, and Prince Li Wangyin of Changde Palace, the most significant of which was the welcoming of Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa) to Taiwan in 1923. During Crown Prince Hirohito's stay at the governor’s residence, most activities occurred on the second floor, where official receptions were held. On the first day of his visit, the governor arranged for him to ascend the spiral staircase to the third floor to receive cheers from the parade crowd on the terrace. After Taiwan's retrocession, although the Taipei Guest House was no longer the governor's residence, it remained a key venue for government meetings and hospitality for foreign guests. Numerous dignitaries have been received by various presidents here, 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 Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Yunlin in 2008. Furthermore, the Taiwanese government has signed many important international treaties or agreements in the banquet hall of the Taipei Guest House, most notably the "Treaty of Peace between the Republic of China and Japan," signed in 1952 by Foreign Minister Yeh Kung-chao and Japanese plenipotentiary Kawai Retsu, which significantly affects Taiwan's sovereign status. More recently, on May 14, 2009, President Ma Ying-jeou signed two international human rights covenants, the "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" and the "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights," marking an important 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 only in its century-long history but also in its architectural design, which artfully combines Eastern and Western cultures. It has witnessed the changes and flourish of Taiwan over the past century, and from any perspective, every brick, every tile, and every plant here deserves our joint love and preservation.
