Linyuan Anle Building Introduction
Anle Lou is a Baroque building constructed around 1930. During the Japanese colonial period, it served as the officers' club for the Japanese military and later transformed into a restaurant and inn. It was once a gathering place for merchants and literati, vibrant with lights and festivities, witnessing a chapter of the flourishing Lin Yuan. Eventually, due to years of neglect, it fell into ruins. It gained some fame as a filming location for the Golden Bell Award-winning drama "A Touch of Green," making it a popular spot for Instagram check-ins. Lin Yuan was an important military site during the Japanese rule, with frequent interactions among soldiers and merchants. The old street (Fuxing Street) and the new street (Linyuan North Road) in Lin Yuan were the earliest and most prosperous areas of development. Anle Lou, located in a small alley off Linyuan North Road, has had its main entrance demolished, allowing access only from the back entrance. The signboard with "Anle Lou Restaurant" has become weathered, but the trace of the text can still be faintly seen. The building exhibits an M-shaped design, combining a Japanese garden with Baroque architecture. The staircase leading to the second floor is the most representative feature and is also the best-preserved part of the building, where many visitors take photos; remnants of the original design can still be found in various corners, including about ten private compartments, with restrooms and washbasins on both floors, divided into male and female, which was very advanced for its time. The once vibrant nightlife of the grand hotel has long faded, with the fallen Anle Lou hidden in the alleys of Lin Yuan. Its story is little known, even to many locals, until it served as a filming location for "A Touch of Green," allowing this elegant and delicate historical building to be seen by more people.
