Kishu An Literary Forest Introduction
The Taipei City Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau has created the "Kishuan New Mansion" located at the end of Tong'an Street, which serves as Taipei's first literary art space dedicated to literature. Since June 2011, it has been operated by the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation. Known as the "Kishuan Literary Forest," this space integrates with the Southern City Literary Park, providing readers with a comfortable environment to read, write, drink tea, enjoy coffee, and engage in conversations with like-minded individuals, both indoors and outdoors. Readers and book lovers can also unexpectedly meet their favorite writers, critics, and publishers here. The "Kishuan" historic building was originally a Japanese teahouse during the Japanese occupation and later transformed into lodging for educators after the war. It is located in the Southern City area and extends its influence to nearby Tong'an Street, Xiamen Street, Kinmen Street, and Guling Street, reaching as far as National Taiwan University and National Normal University. This site holds significant importance in Taiwan's post-war literary development history. It is the birthplace of various literary organizations and magazines, including the "Blue Star Poetry Society," "Literary Magazine," "Modern Literature," "Prairie," and "University" magazine, as well as institutions such as the "Chinese Literary Association" and "Chinese Daily News." Publishers such as Pure Literature, Hongfan, E-Asia, and Yuan-Liou, along with notable authors like Lin Hai-yin, Lin Liang, Yu Guangzhong, Wang Wenxing, and Yin Di, have all expanded their literary ideals from this very place. Therefore, in the future, there is a hope to use "Kishuan" and "Kishuan New Mansion" as core points to recreate the historical context and treasures of literature.
