Taipei Zhongshan Hall Introduction
The Zhongshan Hall in Taipei City, formerly known as the Taipei Public Hall, was built in 1936 and designed by Kaoru Ide, the Chief of the Construction Division of the Governor-General's Office during the Japanese colonial period. The overall design is grand and elegant, making it one of the few large public buildings in Taiwan at that time. In 1945, after Taiwan was restored to the Republic of China, it was renamed "Zhongshan Hall." In 1949, when the government relocated to Taiwan, Zhongshan Hall served as the venue for the National Assembly and Legislative Yuan. In 1969, it was returned to the Taipei City Government and came under the Department of Civil Affairs. In 1992, it was designated as a second-class national monument by the Ministry of the Interior; in 1995, with the amendment of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, it was classified as a municipal historic site under the jurisdiction of the Taipei City Government. In 1999, Zhongshan Hall was re-assigned to the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and to this day, the Main Hall and Restoration Hall have become one of the city's major venues for performing arts, hosting events such as the Taipei Traditional Arts Festival, Children's Arts Festival, and Taipei Film Festival each year. In 2011, the internal space of Zhongshan Hall underwent renovations, adding exhibition rooms, Taipei Academy, and art salons, and it was fully opened to the public, transforming into a multifunctional venue for education, arts, and leisure in Taipei City. In 2019, it was upgraded to a national historic site by the Ministry of Culture.
