Taipei Guest House Audio Guide

Taipei Guest House: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Taipei Guest House

   Welcome to the Taipei Guest House, one of the most elegant historic buildings in Taiwan's capital. You are in Zhongzheng District at number 1 Ketagalan Boulevard, in the heart of the government quarter. The mansion stands just to the left of the Presidential Office Building, and the two are only about 100 meters apart. Together they make a rare pair of grand, century-old buildings in the middle of a modern city. The Taipei Guest House began as a residence for the Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan, and it was built between 1899 and 1901. Its role has changed with the times. Today the Taiwanese government owns it and uses it as a state guest house, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs manages it. Foreign dignitaries are received here, and banquets, ceremonies and cultural events take place within its walls. Over the next few minutes we will look at how the mansion came to be, why it looks so unmistakably European, what the gardens hold, and which moments in Taiwanese politics have unfolded under its roof. Take a moment to notice the building's facade and its balconies, because we will come back to them.

2. 02

   From Governor's Residence to State Guest House

   The story begins at the turn of the twentieth century, when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Construction started in 1899 and finished in 1901, to designs by the Japanese architects Dōgo Fukuda and Ichiro Nomura. The project was launched under Governor-General Kodama, and it came with a budget headache. Gotō Shinpei was responsible for keeping the construction costs in order. He was summoned back to Japan to meet members of the National Diet after it was reported that money set aside for the Taiwan Grand Shrine was being spent on this mansion instead. The first major event after completion was a reception in October 1901 for Shimazu Tomiko, the wife of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa. The building's present form dates from a rebuilding in 1911, carried out by Matsunosuke Moriyama. Although it was considered the governor's official residence, it was also used to receive important visitors and to hold meetings and banquets. The next turning point came in 1950. The building was renamed the Taipei Guest House and given a new life. Since then it has hosted state banquets, official receptions, inter-party meetings and national cultural events. A home for colonial governors has become a stage for Taiwan's own diplomacy.

3. 03

   A French-Style Palace in the Tropics

   Look at the main building and you may feel you have been moved to Paris. The mansion is commonly described as a Western-style mansion, and its architecture draws on the French Second Empire palace tradition. It has a mansard roof and tall Roman-style pillars, and the main structure curves in a concave shape. The front faces south and is rich in balconies, double columns and arches. The interior is even more lavish than the exterior. Inside you will find meticulous ceiling moldings, plaster sculptures and crystal chandeliers. One suspended light is decorated with crystal, baroque gold leaf, flowers and gold foil. It is easy to see why the Taipei Guest House is counted among the most representative buildings of the Japanese period in Taiwan. The building has also known disaster. In 2002 a fire destroyed the second story, and the Taipei City Government's Department of Cultural Affairs soon launched a renovation. Much of what you admire today is the result of that careful restoration of a site that had already been recognized as historic by the city government in 1997.

4. 04

   Two Gardens, Two Worlds, and Moments That Mattered

   The grounds are as much a part of the national historic site as the mansion itself. Two gardens sit on opposite sides, and each follows its own tradition. At the front, the South Garden follows a formal French layout. A central fountain is encircled by symmetrical, geometrically arranged flower beds, which echo the mansion's grandeur. Behind the building lies the large North Garden, designed in the Japanese style. Its pond is shaped like the Chinese character for heart, and it is framed by trees. You will also find an odeum, a pavilion, a stone bridge with balustrades, stone tables, masonry bridges, artificial hills, waterfalls and fountains. It is a calm contrast to the busy streets outside. These quiet grounds have also seen history made. The Treaty of Taipei was signed here in 1952. Decades later, on May 14, 2009, President Ma Ying-jeou signed both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at this same venue. A house built in 1901 has been a witness to many of Taiwan's political and cultural changes.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   The Taipei Guest House is still a working state venue, so visits are arranged around its official duties. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that the guest house and the Presidential Office Building are open to the public once a month on the same day. Online appointments are not compulsory, and walk-in visits during the regular opening hours are welcome. It is wise to check the official schedule before you come, so you do not arrive on a closed day. Whether you step inside or simply walk around the outside, try to read the building as a layered story. Notice the French-style formality of the front, then imagine the Japanese-style garden hidden behind it. Think about a mansion that began as a colonial governor's home and now welcomes the world's visitors. The Presidential Office Building stands only a short walk away, and it makes a natural companion to the guest house. See how the two buildings speak to each other across the same stretch of Ketagalan Boulevard, and decide for yourself which one tells the more surprising story.