新竹市

Shinchiku Police Commissioner's Residence (新竹州警務部部長官舍)

Hsinchu has always been one of my favorite places in Taiwan to hang out whenever I’ve got some free time, but in recent months, it has become an even more exciting destination as the city’s Cultural Affairs Department has been working in overdrive - bringing a number of its historic buildings back to life.

Despite Hsinchu is one of the country’s most historic cities, it is also on the cutting edge of science and technology with its massive Science Park, attracting some of Taiwan’s brightest minds, as well as considerable foreign investment. Fortunately, with the amount of development and investment taking place with the city, the local government has recognized that its cultural heritage is equally as important to its future as the microchip.

These days, any trip to the city is an action-packed adventure as each time I go, I’ll check out a number of newly opened historic buildings, and while it may sound like a complaint, I’m probably going to need a dozen more trips over the next few months just to keep up. Fortunately, Hsinchu is also a foodie’s paradise, so I never leave town with an empty stomach.

As far as I’m concerned, all of the work that the city has invested in its history has been simply amazing, and as Hsinchu continues to transform into a hip technology hub, locals and tourists alike are blessed with a number of attractions to visit, where they can celebrate the city’s cultural heritage and its long history.

It’s rare that I sing the praises of the efforts of any of Taiwan’s local governments, but for those of us interested in the preservation of Taiwan’s history, Hsinchu has become a model for how to successfully accomplish these projects while also ensuring that they are managed and marketed in a sustainable way.

Given that I have such a long list of destinations to visit in the city, I had to switch things up a bit when I was notified that the ‘Shinchiku Prefectural Police Commissioner’s Official Residence’ had completed its restoration project, and was in the process of a soft-opening to the public. The building, which is considered one of the ‘highest-ranking’ of the official Japanese-era residences remaining in the city is a special one, but for the purpose of what I do, it had to be moved to the top of my list so that I could get the shots I wanted.

The reason for this is due to the fact that the building will serve a dual-role as a historic tourist attraction in addition to becoming a fine dining restaurant, operated by one of Taiwan’s Michelin recognized chefs.

Essentially, I wanted to take advantage of the soft-opening period to visit and get photos of the building before the restaurant officially opened and the interior space was filled up. Visiting the same day that the soft-opening period officially started, I was fortunate to have the place to myself, and was able to walk around and get all the photos I wanted without being disturbed, which was a pretty great experience.

Suffice to say, today I’ll be introducing one of Hsinchu’s newest tourist attractions, and what I assume will in the near future also become a pretty popular place to enjoy high quality locally-inspired fine dining. Located within the downtown core of the city, the former residence of Shinchiku Prefecture’s Police Commissioner has been beautifully restored, and unlike many of the other Japanese-era residences around the country, this one is arguably one of the most grandest in its architectural design, and the level of comfort awarded to whomever had the luck of living in it.

Given that it is currently still going through it’s soft-opening as I’m writing this, there are very few available resources that go into much detail about its history and architectural design, so I had to visit the National Archives and had to dig deep on this one in order to provide you with as much info as I can.

As always, I highly recommend a visit, and when the restaurant opens, if you’re able to make a reservation, a dinner service there promises to be a pretty cool experience, especially if you’re interested in high-level Taiwanese cuisine.

Shinchiku Prefectural Police Commissioner’s Official Residence (新竹州警務部部長官舍)

Dating back to 1922 (大正11年), the Shinchiku Prefectural Police Commissioner’s Official Residence was constructed in an area of the developing city where a large community of ‘official dorms’ (旭町官舍區) were constructed for the convenience of the civil servants of the era. The community, which was conveniently a short walk from the Hsinchu Railway Station was home to a range of political figures such as the governor of the prefecture, the police commissioner, the city’s mayor, school principals, teachers, etc.

That being said, it was a neighborhood that was largely populated by Japanese nationals, segregating them from most of the native population.

Known officially as Asahichō (旭町 / あさひちょう), the name of the neighborhood was a common one among many of Taiwan’s larger cities during the colonial era where you’d also find one in Taipei, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan and Pingtung. Located just outside of the city’s East Gate (迎曦門), the neighborhood was adjacent to the Hsinchu Moat (護城河), which itself dates back to the Qing rule, and has a pretty interesting history.

These days the moat serves as a popular spot for locals and tourists to enjoy the beauty of the historic city.

The moat essentially acted as a divider between the Asahi neighborhood and the prefectural government, city council and courthouse on one side and the Hsinchu Branch of the Teikoku Sugar Refinery (帝國製糖株式會社新竹糖廠) on the other - the neighborhood would have been a pretty convenient one for its residents as the commute to work was a short one.

Note: The former Sugar Refinery was located on a large plot of land that is currently home to Hsinchu’s largest mall, Big City (遠東巨城購物中心) and the SOGO Department Store.

Before I start to introduce the building, it’s important to first detail a couple of important events that took place prior to its construction, which were essential in determining it’s ‘size’ and ‘architectural design’.

The first major factor came in 1920 (大正9年), when governance of Shinchiku Prefecture (新竹州 / しんちくしゅう) and Taiwan’s other prefectures were restructured by the Governor General’s office. Most notably with regard to this building was that the hierarchy of law enforcement was organized into an advanced structural system that differentiated the jurisdiction and responsibilities of the Prefectural-Level (州設警務部), County-Level (郡設警察課) and City-Level (市設警察署與分署) branches.

For clarity sake, the ‘Shinchiku Prefecture’ of that era consisted of much of what we know today as much of Taoyuan (桃園), Hsinchu (桃園) and Miaoli (苗栗), and the Prefectural Level branch of the police oversaw branches and precincts within Hsinchu City (新竹警察署), Hsinchu County (新竹郡警察課), Chikutō / Zhudong (竹東郡警察課), Tōen / Taoyuan (桃園郡警察課), Chūreki / Zhongli (中壢郡警察課), Daikei / Daxi (大溪郡警察課), Miaoli (苗栗郡警察課), Chikunan / Zhunan (竹南郡警察課) and Taigo / Dahu (大湖郡警察課).

The second major factor that I’d like to highlight was an official policy change that took place the same year as the residence was constructed. In 1922 (大正11年), the Governor General’s Office enacted a law (台灣總督府官舍建築標準) regarding official building standards in Taiwan. These new standards specified a clear set of regulations regarding the size of buildings provided for civil servants of various ranks, which were divided between Senior Officials (高等官 / こうとうかん) and Junior Officials (判任官 / はんにんかん). The new policy was meant to improve the living standards in the housing provided for civil servants in addition to encouraging staff to work hard and move up the ladder in order to receive more comfortable housing.

Under the new housing system, the Police Commissioner’s Official Residence was classified as a Level Two Senior Official (高等官官舍第二種) house, meaning that it was afforded at least 165㎡ (50坪) in size accompanied by a plot of land that was at least 1003㎡ (303.5坪). This made the residence one of the most spacious and comfortable places to live in the neighborhood, second only to the nearby Governor’s Mansion. If you take a look at the maps above where I’ve marked the plot of land where the residence is located, you’ll clearly see the size of the space in comparison to the other dorms in the neighborhood.

Over the years, a number of additions were added to the residence making it larger than how it originally appeared in 1922, with a current total space of 201㎡ (61坪).

Interestingly, even though the residence was provided to a high-level official within the hierarchy of the colonial-era’s civil servants, something I mentioned earlier is important to keep in mind - It was common for these high-level officials to be promoted (or demoted) based on their job performance, so between 1922 and 1945, the building housed well over a dozen families.

I’m listing the various Police Commissioners below, however even though I did my best to romanize their names, it’s possibly that I made a mistake or two, so if you find an error, feel free to let me know!

Shinchiku Prefectural Police Commissioners (新竹州警務部部長) - 1920 - 1941

  1. Tabata Kozburo 田端幸三郎 (1922 - 1923)

  2. Ota Goichi 太田吾一 (1923-1925)

  3. Tsunoda Hiroshi 角田廣次 (1925 - 1926)

  4. Kusano Yoshikazu 草野義一 (1926 - 1927)

  5. Takahashi Hideto 高橋秀人 (1927 - 1928)

  6. Osatake Ken 尾佐竹堅 (1928 - 1930)

  7. Ishikawa Sadatoshi 石川定俊 (1930 - 1931)

  8. Suzuki Hideo 鈴木秀夫 (1931 - 1932)

  9. Keiya Takao 慶谷隆夫 (1932 - 1934)

  10. Takahara Hayato 高原逸人 (1934 - 1937)

  11. Raku Mitsuru 樂滿金次 (1937 - 1939)

  12. Nei Ko 根井洸 (1939 - 1940)

  13. Shirani Hoichi 白仁寶一 (1940 - 1941)

Shinchiku Prefecture Police Chief (新竹州警察部部長) - 1941 - 1945

  1. Shirani Hoichi 白仁寶一 (1941 - 1942)

  2. Shibayama Minenoburu 柴山峯登 (1942 - 1943)

  3. Ihara Toshiyuku 井原敏之 (1943 - 1945)

When Taiwan’s Colonial Era ended with the surrender of the Japanese Empire at the conclusion of the Second World War, the residence continued to be occupied by Hsinchu Police Chiefs (警察局長) for a number of years, but the household registration records for the first few years after the Chinese Nationalist takeover aren’t recorded (or published) very well, which likely means that it was possibly also occupied by refugees who stayed there until the government was able to provide alternative housing for them.

From what little information is available, in the period between 1945 and 1993, there were at least three different police chiefs housed within the residence. The first was Lee Shu-yu (李樹鈺), second Huang Ding-can (黃丁燦) and third Lin Mao-sheng (林茂生), all three of whom were the Police Commissioner for Hsinchu County (新竹縣警察局局長).

Officially registered as a Hsinchu City Historic Site (市定古蹟) in 2016 (民國105年) and a on March 18th, 2022 (民國111年), restoration on the building was officially completed with the government investing NT$33,800,000 (US$1,500,000).

Architectural Design

There are a few issues that need to be kept in mind before I start describing the building as it appears today - First, and most importantly, the original blueprints have been lost. Given that blueprints are often one of the best tools for those involved in the restoration of these buildings (to remain faithful to the original design), it’s unfortunate that were unavailable. Further complicating the restoration process, the interior space of the residence was considerably altered over the post-war period by its various occupants, who changed the space to better fit their individual needs.

The restoration of the building ultimately required a significant amount of research and comparison with similarly designed senior-level residences from the Taisho era. Suffice to say, the restoration team took a conservative approach to their work, when we look at current blueprints, what would have been the main living space during the Japanese-era had been altered to a point that they could only leave it as it was.

Despite these issues, the basics of the building’s architectural design are pretty clear, it is a spacious 201㎡ (61坪) Japanese-style timber-framed (軸組式) building constructed in the irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造) style.

What this means is that the building was constructed on an elevated base, known as the ‘moya’ (母屋), which is smaller than the four-sided sloped hip roof (四坡頂) above. To support the weight of the larger roof, the building features an ingeniously designed network of timber trusses and pillars within the interior, further stabilized by a network of cement pillars on the base that elevates the building above the ground.

The roof design is known as a ‘yosemune-zukuri’ (寄棟造 / よせむねづくり), which as mentioned above is noted by its four-sided sloping faces and was originally covered with decorative Kyoto-style black roof tiles (黑瓦). As time passed however, the original roof tiles were replaced due to damage caused by age (and a century of typhoons). Prior to restoration the building was covered in red plasticky tiles, but they have been removed and replaced again with Japanese-style stone tiles, which are nice, but are just a little too new-looking to be all that impressive.

Even though the architectural design of the residence can be considered a fusion of traditional Japanese and western architectural design (和洋並置), it keeps with tradition with the interior space divided into three separate spaces, a living space (起居空間), a service space (服務空間) and a passage space (通行空間). 

To explain each of these spaces, the “living space” is considerably different than what we’re accustomed to in western countries as what we might refer to as a “living room” is actually a brilliant multi-functional space where the family spends time together having meals, drinking tea and sleeping. Additionally, these spaces often include tea rooms, dining rooms, guest rooms and so on, depending on the size of the house.

The “service space” on the other hand includes a number of functional spaces including the kitchen (台所 / だいどころ), bathroom (風呂 / ふろ), washroom (便所 / べんじょ), etc. 

Finally, the “passage space” generally refers to the various entrances and the corridors within the house.

Within traditional Japanese-style residences like this, the fusion of all three of these spaces skillfully separates the ‘public’ parts of the home from the ‘private’ through the usage of walls, sliding doors and corridors that reach around the building. When it comes to the separation between the space used for guests and the space used for the family, the Police Commissioner’s residence is quite special in its architectural design, especially when you compare it to the nearby Former Residence of Hsin Chih-Ping (辛志平校長故居), which was the residence provided for the Principal of Shinchiku High School (新竹州立新竹中學校), and a senior-level residence itself.

The Principal’s residence, which is relatively smaller (159.87㎡ vs. 201㎡), features a room for entertaining guests directly to the right of the main entrance of the home, but is a short distance from the private living space. With the additional space provided in the Police Commissioner’s residence, there are some key design differences regarding interior space, especially with regard to the space for entertaining guests.

The building features several entrances, but guests would have been greeted at an alternate entrance to the left of the main doors where there is a special ‘tea-room’ connected to a long and beautiful corridor, which also connects to a spacious western-style dining room. This type of ‘detached’ space is somewhat rare among Taiwan’s remaining Japanese-era residences today, and this one is made even more special by the fact that it also features a bathroom that guests could use while visiting, something that was also quite uncommon for buildings that date back over a century.

Looking at the top-down blueprints of the house below, the guest space on the left makes the shape of the building appear different from many of its contemporaries, but its all about functionality, and providing space for a senior-level official who would have been required to entertain guests from time to time.

Using the floor plan above, I’ll briefly introduce each of the various spaces within the residence to  better explain their function based on the space they belong. I’ve included numbers on the image so that it’ll be easier to understand. Before I start though, it’s important to note once again that there is debate as to the original usage for some of the spaces within the house given that the interior space was altered significantly over the post-war period. I’ll note which of these spaces are questionable, but given my research and experience with these buildings, in some cases it is easy to assume what might have been there.

Passage Space (通行空間)

1. The front entrance, or the foyer to the residence is known as a ‘genkan’ (玄關 / げんかん), and features compartments for shoes, umbrellas, etc. The foyer is almost always the only ‘ground level’ section of the house as the rest is elevated on pedestals. There are two of these foyer’s in this house including a grand entrance used by the family and a smaller one to the left that led directly to the guest space.

2. One of my personal favorite spaces within these historic Japanese-era buildings are the beautiful ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ) sliding door verandas. An essential aspect of traditional Japanese architectural design, most of the historic residences in Taiwan will feature at least one engawa that faces the back yard or garden, but in this residence there are actually three of them - one in the living space, one near the dining space, and another in the connected guest space. The sliding glass panels in the living space are the longest and most impressive of the three as it provides an excellent view of the garden space as well as providing for a significant amount of natural air to enter the building through the sliding doors and windows.

3. Within the building you’ll find a number of corridors that connect each of the spaces to each other. I haven’t listed each of them on the photo above, but the ‘rou’ (廊 / ろう) are essential in these buildings as they play an integral part in separating each of the spaces.

Living Space (起居空間)

4. When you walk up the stairs from the foyer, it was likely that you’d find a ‘waiting room’ or a ‘machiaishitsu’ (待合室 / まちあいしつ), however this is one area of the house where the space has been altered quite a bit, making it questionable as to whether it was a reception room or not. Today it is used for the administration of the building and the restaurant that will operate within.

5. To the right of (what was possibly) the reception room/waiting room, it is likewise thought that there was either a tea room (茶之間 / ちゃのま), a less formal dining space, or a reading room (書齋 / しょさい), which could have also served as a work space. As is the case with the space above, it’s unclear, but the guest space would have served both purposes as well.

Given how close it is to the kitchen, I’d argue that it was likely a dining space.

6. Within the private family area section, you’ll find the most spacious area of the home, which is typically separated into two sections. The living space, known as the ‘zashiki’ (座敷 / ざしき). As I mentioned above, this is where the typical ‘living room’ that westerners are familiar with differs as this space is essentially a mixture of a space where the family could spend time together. Within this space you’d find an alcove referred to as tokonoma (床の間/とこのま) and a chigaidana (違棚 / ちがいだな), which are both spaces reserved for decorative elements of the living space.

7. The second part of the spacious living space is reserved for the family’s sleeping space, known as the ‘ima’ (居間 / いま), which like the space above is essentially just an open space. Within this space you’d find alcoves known as ‘oshiire’ (押入 / おしいれ), which are used for storing bedding during the day.

8. As mentioned earlier, with the exception of the family’s private living space, the ‘ousetsushitsu’ or guest space (應接室 / おうせつしつ) features quite prominently in this residence as it is connected directly to the private area and the alternate entrance to the house. In terms of architectural design, it is one of the most impressive of these specific spaces that I’ve seen in any of the historic Japanese-era houses that remain in Taiwan today. The square room features four walls that consist almost entirely of windows, allowing for a significant amount of natural light and with three doors, and access to a bathroom specifically for guests, it was likely an excellent spot for entertaining friends and colleagues.

9. The last section of the living space is the space that was made available for the housekeeping staff that would have been afforded to the family. The Maid’s Room (女中室 / じょちゅうしつ) is currently one of the spaces where there is some debate as the space was likely knocked down at some point in order to enlarge the kitchen space.

10. Given the irregular shape of the residence, one of the biggest questions with regard to the original usage of certain spaces is when it comes to the space on the western side of the house where you’ll find an engawa sliding veranda, a lavatory, and a tokonoma space, like the one mentioned above in the living room. While it is debatable whether or not this space could have served as a spare bedroom, I’d venture to guess that it was likely a reading room (書齋 / しょさい), which served as an elegant home office space for the commissioner. As a space that was separate from the private area of the house, colleagues could have come and gone quite easily and the space could have also been used for less formal meetings that didn’t require the large space in the guest room. Today the space is a beautiful room with tatami floors where you can sit and learn about the history of the area, offering a beautiful view of the exterior of the building.

Service Space (服務空間)

On the eastern side of the residence you’ll find the three rooms which are considered part of the ‘service space, namely the (11) lavatory (便所 / べんじょ), the (12) kitchen (台所 / だいどころ) and the (12) bathroom (風呂 / ふろ). However, given the changes to the building over the years and the recent restoration of the building, there isn’t much to say about these spaces. The former kitchen for example is currently an open space that is used to display historic information and anything that would have identified it as a kitchen has been removed. Similarly, the former shower room is currently closed off to the public and the space used for the lavatory has been completely removed as the space currently opens to a newly constructed exit to a newly constructed building on the exterior where the restaurant’s kitchen is located.

No. 132 Food Theater Restaurant (132糧倉)

With restoration of the century-old residence completed in early 2022, the historic residence was officially re-opened by the Mayor of Hsinchu on May 24th with plans to have it become another one of the city’s historic tourist destinations as well as a food lovers paradise.

Link: 百年古蹟新竹州警務部部長官舍修復完工 24日起開放 (UDN 聯合)

With operational control of the building split between the Hsinchu Bureau of Cultural Affairs (新竹文化局) and the No.132 Food Theater Restaurant (132糧倉). The historic building will feature rotating exhibits that highlights local history while also becoming home to the newest restaurant from Chef Josh Wang (王正岳), one of the famed chefs from Taipei’s Michelin-starred restaurant RAW, and the owner of the Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant “No. 1 Food Theater” (一號糧倉).

Link: Behind The Bib: No.1 Food Theater Cuisine In Taipei (Michelin Guide)

As this article is being published prior to the restaurant’s grand-opening, I can only speak to the set menu that was placed on some of the tables in the building during my visit. Chef Wang is known for his fine-dining skills, but his ‘No. 1 Food Theater’ in Taipei offers a very affordable Taiwanese fusion experience mixing local ingredients and recipes with popular western dishes. With this new restaurant, Chef Wang’s menu is inspired by the traditional cuisine of Hsinchu and will featured locally produced farm to table ingredients.

In partnership with the local government, the building will be operated with a mixture of public and private sector cooperation that has become a formula in recent years for ensuring that buildings like this can continue to be restored across the country.

If you’re interested in the topic, I recommend you check out my article where I outline the government’s efforts to preserve historic buildings while taking advantage of private sector partnerships to ensure sustainability.

Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan

Interestingly, this is Chef Wang’s second restaurant located within a historic Japanese-era building as the ‘No 1 Food Theater’ mentioned above is located within a historic warehouse in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山區) that was restored a few years back. Receiving a Bib Gourmand award, the restaurant offers diners an affordable dining experience with meals under NT$1000. This new restaurant in Hsinchu however will focus on providing more of a fine dining experience with the set menu priced at $NT1980 per diner.

Link: 新竹州警務部部長官舍/132糧倉 (Facebook)

Restaurant’s hours: Tuesday - Sunday from 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Tourist visitation hours: Tuesday - Sunday from 10:00am - 6:00pm.

Getting There

 

Address: #132 Zhongyang Road, Hsinchu City (新竹市中央路132號)

GPS: 24.806960, 120.971200

Located in the downtown core of Hsinchu City, the former Police Commissioner’s residence is within walking distance from the Hsinchu Train Station, so if you’re in the area for a day-trip and you’re walking around, the residence is yet another of the city’s historic attractions that you’ll be able to enjoy. Essentially less than a block away (in any direction) from Hsinchu’s East gate (竹塹城迎曦門), the Hsinchu Principal’s Residence (辛志平校長故居), the City God Temple (新竹城隍廟), Dongmen Market (東門市場) and the Big City Shopping Mall (遠東巨成購物中心), visitors have a number of options within walking distance from the train station.

And that list doesn’t include any of the restaurants and coffee shops that you’ll encounter along the way.

If you’re in Hsinchu and you’re driving a car or scooter, you should be able to find parking near the Hsinchu Moat Park (護城河親水公園), where there is street-side parking available for scooters and a paid parking garage for cars. Each of the destinations mentioned above is a short walk from there. However, if you discover that the parking lot is full, never fear, there are a number of options within the area. I recommend inputting the address provided above into your GPS or Google Maps and you’ll find a number of spaces nearby.

While I can’t recommend enough that you walk around the city, some of you are might be more comfortable making use of public transportation. Fortunately there is a bus stop a short walk away from the residence, so you’re in luck. You’ll be able to hop on the following buses to get to the residence, which is located next to the Qinren Village Bus Stop (親仁里站):

  1. Hsinchu Bus #2 (新竹客運) - Hsinchu Train Station - Chiao Tung University

  2. Hsinchu Bus #31 (新竹客運) - Hsinchu Train Station - Science Park

  3. Hsinchu Bus #5602 (新竹客運) - Hsinchu - Sanfeng

  4. Hsinchu Bus #5603 (新竹客運) - Hsinchu - Xincheng

  5. Hsinchu Bus Blue Line (新竹客運藍線) - Hsinchu Fisher Association - Hsinchu Junior High

  6. Miaoli Bus Green Line (苗栗客運綠線) - Chingkuo Road - Xiangshan)

If you take the bus from the train station to the residence, I still recommend that from there you visit some of the other enjoyable destinations in the area. The city is very walkable and along the way to your next destination, you’re likely to find something else that interests you.

As mentioned above, I’m publishing this article quite early after the restoration of the residence was completed during the period when the restaurant that will occupy the space was still making preparations for its grand opening. Given that operational control of the historic building has been awarded to a Michelin-rated chef, I’m not particularly sure how long the building will remain open for tourists, but it seems like time will be split pretty evenly with it being available for visits during the day and closing in time to prepare for dinner service. If you have a chance to enjoy a meal at the restaurant, be sure to let me know how it went!

I’ve added it to my list of places to eat in the city!

References

  1. Shinchiku Prefecture | 新竹州 (Wiki)

  2. 新竹縣政府警察局 (Wiki)

  3. 新竹州警務部部長官舍 (新竹文化局)

  4. 新竹州警務部部長官舍 (國家文化資產網)

  5. 市定古蹟「新竹州警察局高等官舍」及歷史建築「南大路警察宿舍」研究暨修復再利用計畫 (新竹市政府)

  6. 「新竹州警務部部長官舍」開放!百年日式古蹟重生,米其林必比登推薦「一號糧倉」進駐 (Shopping Design)

  7. 「新竹州警務部部長官舍」開放!132糧倉結合在地食材的美食饗宴 (La Vie)

  8. 複合式古蹟「新竹州警務部部長官舍」今開放 (UDN)

  9. 百歲古蹟重生 新竹州警務部部長官舍重新開館 (台灣生活網)

  10. 「新竹州警務部部長官舍」開幕 來百年官邸吃必比登美食 (中時新聞網)

  11. 台灣日式建築:官舍 —— 台灣樣.建築百科 (財團法人空間母語文化藝術基金會)

  12. 新竹市定古蹟警長高等官舍 獲3200萬元修復活化 (自由時報)


Former Residence of Hsin Chih-Ping (辛志平校長故居)

Most foreign visitors to Taiwan seem to agree that Taipei and Tainan are the best places to visit while in the country - Taipei for its modern vibes and Tainan for all of its history and its amazing cuisine - so with a visit to both of these cities, you can learn all you need to know about both the nation’s past and its future.

Personally, I don’t really feel like you need to travel from one end of the country to the other to experience either of these, especially since a short trip to Hsinchu can satisfy both in a single trip.

With Hsinchu, we’re blessed with an ever-growing city on the cutting edge of technology that just so happens to also be rich in Taiwanese history, traditional culture and a local cuisine of its own.

I fell in love with Hsinchu on my first visit and as the city continues to develop, it’s very likely that I’ll continue to sing its praises as there is always something new and exciting to do while in town.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to spend any time in the city, I highly recommend taking some time to explore all that it has to offer, since it’s only a short train ride from the capital, and especially since there are so many hip restaurants, coffeeshops, museums and historic locations to check out.

Over the next few months, I’ll have a number of new Hsinchu-related articles as the city has invested a considerable amount of funds into the preservation of its cultural heritage, spanning the two hundred years of its development into one of Taiwan’s most important cities.

Today, I’ll be introducing one of the city’s historic Japanese-era destinations, conveniently located within the downtown core of the city, and yet another tourist destination within walking distance of the equally historic railway station. As an official residence for a Japanese-era civil servant, the building is a bit more posh than some of the other civil servant dorms I’ve written about in the past, but given Hsinchu’s strategic importance to the Japanese, the beauty of this building shouldn’t come off as a big surprise.

For day-trippers to the city, this is yet another location within the downtown core that can help you get a better feel of the history of this important city as well as one of its most prominent citizens over the past half century.

Shinchiku High School Principal’s Residence

Writing about the ‘residences' provided for civil servants during the Japanese-era is a topic that I’ve been researching for quite a while, with dozens of articles on the topic already published. One of the most obvious takeaways is that if you were a professionally trained civil servant immigrating to Taiwan, one of the benefits was that housing would be provided - in some cases shared dormitories - or for higher ranking officials, a residence for their entire family.

These civil-servant dormitories, or residences were provided for government officials of all levels ranging from the police, educators, engineers, railway workers, etc. Today, many of the Japanese-era residences that remain across the country were once property of the colonial government, and were provided on a provisional basis to those working to help develop the island.

That being said, not every residence provided by the government would have been a comfortable living experience - Many of the laborers in the timber or sugar industries were provided with shared dwellings, much like a university dorm-like environment. Similarly many of the lower-ranking teachers who came to Taiwan were placed in shared residences where a number of co-workers would live in the same space.

Higher ranking officials, such as school principals on the other hand were provided with far more elaborate homes for their entire family. These larger buildings offered a much more comfortable living experience than the average worker would have enjoyed and were luxurious enough that they likely would have enticed their residents to stay longer.

Link: Qidong Street Dorms (齊東街日式宿舍)

The residence provided for the principal of the Prefectural Shinchiku High School (新竹州立新竹中學校) in Hsinchu is by far one of the best examples I have encountered, when it comes to the high standard of living that school principals were provided with. The large home came fully equipped on prime real estate in the downtown core of the city, and even featured a large yard for the family to enjoy.

Interestingly, when it comes to the residences provided for school staff, they were almost always constructed next to the school for convenience purposes. This principal’s dorm however is located on the opposite side of the train tracks from the school, which would have made the daily commute a long one.

To understand why this is the case, we first have to take a look at the school’s history.

Established in 1922 (大正11年), the Prefectural Shinchiku High School was originally located in the downtown core of Hsinchu, close to the railway station. The school was initially split up and shared space within the Shinchiku First Public School (新竹第一公學校), in addition to a newly constructed building just opposite where the principal’s residence is located today. However, with plans to expand and restructure the educational infrastructure in the prefecture, the location was only a temporary one as a massive campus was at the same time undergoing construction at the base of Eighteen Peaks Mountain (十八尖山).

Completed in 1925 (大正14年), the Prefectural Shinchiku High School changed the landscape of public education in Shinchiku Prefecture, providing space for three classes per grade with seats for one hundred Japanese nationals and fifty Taiwanese students (even three decades into the colonial era, preferential treatment was still afforded to Japanese nationals), with a total student population of around five hundred pupils per year. For much of its history, the prestigious high school, known today as National Hsinchu Senior High School (國立新竹高級中學) was primarily a male-only school, which is an important thing to keep in mind regarding the educational restructuring plan mentioned above.

When the boys high school moved in 1926, the Shinchiku First Public School was converted into a public elementary school, while the downtown campus vacated by the boys high school became the Shinchiku Prefectural Girls' High School (新竹州立新竹高等女學校), offering primary and upper education for the children of the prefecture.

Note: Just for clarity sake:

Shinchiku First Public School (新竹第一公學校) is currently “Hsinchu Elementary School” (新竹國民小學) and dates back to 1898.

Prefectural Shinchiku Boys High School (新竹州立新竹中學校) is currently “National Hsinchu Senior High School” (國立新竹高級中學) and dates back to 1922.

Shinchiku Prefectural Girls' High School (新竹州立新竹高等女學校) is currently “National Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School” (國立新竹女子高級中學) and dates back to 1925.

All of that said, I couldn’t find any definitive answer as to why the principals residence didn’t move to the other side of the tracks along with the school - A bit frustrated, I decided to make another trip to Hsinchu to ask one of the knowledgeable Cultural Bureau employees working inside. Suffice to say, the residence as we know it today was once part of a large community of teachers dormitories that encapsulated an entire city block within the downtown core of the city. Unfortunately, the only one that remains is the principals residence as the others have long since been torn down and replaced with high-rise apartment buildings.

As it was expertly explained to me, the community of houses were constructed in the early 1920s, along with the campus nearby. Having an already established community of houses for many of the school’s teachers and their families, most were reluctant to move. However, it’s important to note that the girl’s school next door also required similar residences for its staff, so another large group of dorms were constructed between the campus and the Hsinchu Moat. Similarly, as the boys high school grew, a number of additional dorms were constructed next to the school to accommodate the growing number of staff.

After listening to his explanation, I asked what I figured was the obvious question: “So, they walked to school every day? Wasn’t it troublesome to cross the tracks on a daily basis?” to which the expert responded: “Hsinchu was one of the busiest cities in Taiwan and the colonial government made sure that tunnels were constructed under the tracks to connect both sides of the city, just like the ones we are using today. There was essentially a traffic and pedestrian tunnel across the street from the dorms for the staff to make their way to work.

The first principal of the Prefectural Shinchiku Boys High School was an accomplished and interesting figure named Oki Shunkuro (大木俊九郎 / おおき しゅんくろう) from Saga Prefecture (佐賀県) on southern Japan’s Kyushu Island. Arriving in Taiwan in 1921 (大正10年), Oki initially took a position as head teacher at Taichung’s Business School (臺中商業學校) before being promoted to principal of the newly established high school, where he would spend the next decade of his life.

Note: Taichung Business School (臺中商業學校) is currently the Taichung University of Science and Technology (國立臺中科技大學)

Despite being referred to today as the ‘Former Residence of Hsin Chih-Ping,” I’d argue that both of these figures were the most significant in the history of the school, hailing from different eras of Taiwan’s history. In both cases, a number of principals followed, but (not to dismiss the achievements of others) few have had as tremendous of an effect on the school as these two.

Principal Oki oversaw the establishment of the school, its migration to a new campus, the construction of new buildings on the campus, and its growth between 1922 and 1932. Known as a strict administrator, Oki ran a military-like outfit, but spent time personally training students in the art of Kendo (劍道) as well as personally maintaining the school’s gardens and floral arrangements.

Interestingly, Oki’s career in Taiwan should have lasted much longer, but his son, a doctor of note in Taipei found himself involved in an extramarital affair with a nurse at his hospital, something which Oki considered tantamount to his failure as a parent and educator. This forced him to pack up and return to Japan in disgrace - something I’m sure most people these days would consider a bit of an overreaction.

In the years after Oki left Taiwan, a number of administrators followed (five to be exact), but each of them only lasted a year or two at the most. Then, when the colonial era came to an end in 1945 and the Japanese left Taiwan, the school was renamed “National Hsinchu Senior High School” and Hsin Chih-Ping became principal, a position he’d hold for the next three decades.

Principal’s Residence Tenants (1922 - 1985)

Oki Shunkuro (大木俊九郎) - 1922 (大正11年) - 1931 (昭和6年)

Ogita Shinosamu (荻板進治) - 1932 (昭和7年) - 1936 (昭和11年)

Shiba Toshio (志波俊夫) - 1937 (昭和12年) - 1941 (昭和16年)

Matsui Minoru (松井實) - 1942 (昭和17年)

Sanya Shusaku (三屋秋策) - 1943 (昭和18年) - 1944 (昭和19年)

Hsin Chih-Ping (辛志平) - 1945 (民國34年) - 1985 (民國74年)

Living there well after his retirement, the house was left abandoned after Hsin passed away in 1985 (民國74年) and when plans were made to have it torn down along with all of the other aging and abandoned teachers dormitories and converted into a parking lot. Fortunately, local groups made a fuss and campaigned to have it preserved by the local government.

In 2006 (民國95年), a restoration project on the house started and was completed a year later with the fully restored residence opened to the public the next year, which is one of the reasons it appears different from most of the other Japanese-era residences that have been restored in recent years as the wood has had time to age, so it’s not as bright and shiny as the others, which is great.

Even though the school dates back to 1922, it is unclear as to when the residence was constructed - It is theorized by local historians that it was constructed at the same time as the school, so when the first campus was completed, the house was already ready to be occupied. This theory is supported by the fact that it’s first tenant, Principal Oki, was teaching elsewhere before accepting the position in Hsinchu, meaning that accommodations would have been prepared prior to his arrival.

Another clue that dates the building to 1922 is that it was constructed shortly after the Governor General’s Office enacted a law (台灣總督府官舍建築標準) regarding official building standards in Taiwan. The new standards specified the regulations regarding the size of buildings that were provided for civil servants of various ranks. As a level three official, the principal’s residence would have been considered within the upper echelons of the system, and the size and quality of the accommodations provided were far more spacious and elegant than a typical dorm. The final clue is the architectural design of the building is more or less the same as several other ‘level three residences’ constructed for the administrators of other schools around the island after the new regulations were published.

Suffice to say, if historians are correct and the building was constructed alongside the school, it is marking its centennial this year, which is a significant event.

Blueprints of the exterior of the building.

Even though the exact date of construction is unclear, we are blessed with very detailed blueprints of the building’s architectural design, which provide specific details of the layout of the house from the time it was constructed in addition to the changes that it underwent over the decades when it was slightly modified (due to the cultural differences with regard to sleeping and living arrangements). Approximately 159.87m2 (48坪), the building was constructed with the ubiquitous irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造) style of architectural design using a combination of Taiwanese Hinoki (臺灣檜木) and Taiwanese Cedar (臺灣杉木).

The irimoya-style, better known as the “East Asian Hip and Gable roof” (歇山), is one of the most common forms of traditional Japanese architectural design, and is used on anything from Buddhist temples and Shinto Shrines to residences like this one, but tends to vary in the level of decorative elements added to the roof. Plainly speaking, it’s a practical style of design given that the ‘hipped’ section provides excellent stability to the base of the building, while the ‘gable’ section ensures the stability of the roof, with all of its heavy roof tiles. This is accomplished through a genius network of trusses (屋架) located within the ceiling that helps to distribute the weight and support the four-sided sloped hip roof (四坡頂).

To start describing the interior, it’s important to note that traditional Japanese residences follow a basic design rule in that each of them consists of the following three ‘spaces’ - a living space (起居空間), a service space (服務空間), and a passage space (通行空間). 

The “living space” is considerably different than what we’re used to in western standards as what we might consider a “living room” is actually a brilliant multi-functional space where the family can receive guests, hang out, have their meals, drink tea and sleep. This space is typically the most spacious part of the house and features large closet-like compartments with sliding doors in the walls where blankets, decorations and other necessities are stored during the day. 

The “service space” on the other hand could include a number of rooms such as the kitchen, bathroom, washroom, maids room, etc. Finally, the “passage space” generally refers to the the front and back entrances to the house as well as the corridors within, located between the living space and the service space.

As mentioned above, the layout of the residence was altered from its original condition after Hsin Chih-Ping started living there - However, the way it has been restored today has brought it back to its original architectural layout. I’ll provide floor plans below where you can see the changes, but I’m only going to describe the layout as it originally appeared, which is pretty much what you’ll experience today.

The front entrance, or the foyer to the residence is known as a ‘genkan’ (玄關 / げんかん) and features compartments for shoes, umbrellas, etc. The genkan is almost always the only ‘ground level’ section of the house as the rest is elevated on pedestals.

When you walk up the stairs you’ll find a reception room (應接室 / おうせつしつ) to the right, which is culturally-speaking a significant space as it is where family members would receive guests who weren’t extended family, or close friends. It is separate from the main family area and helps to maintain privacy.

One of the interesting architectural differences between homes constructed in Japan and Taiwan at the time were that these guest rooms always faced a specific direction that would allow for the best morning and afternoon light. The ninety degree L-shaped windows in the room were constructed specifically to take advantage of the light, so these ‘guest rooms’ were often used as a comfortable space for tea or coffee, like a second living room.

To the left of the foyer you’ll find a tea room (茶之間 / ちゃのま), which essentially would have served as a dining room space, with a large table for the family to enjoy meals. Next to the tea room was a reading room (書齋 / しょさい), which could have also served as a work space.

Next to the dining room you’d find a maids room (女中室/じょちゅうしつ), which was a living space afforded to the family’s maid. Normally these spaces aren’t very large, but in this house it is almost half the size of the family’s personal living space. It also has its own door to the outside, so the maid could easily come and go without disturbing the family.

Connected directly to the maids room on the western side of the building is an impressively large kitchen (台所 / だいどころ) - This space in particular is one of the areas where you’ll currently find most of the ‘modern’ alterations to the building as it was changed to fit the needs of the family the lived in the house for the three decades after the war.

Completing the ‘service space’ section of the house, next to the kitchen you’ll find a bathroom (風呂 / ふろ) for taking baths and next to that (along the north-western end of the house) you’ll find a detached lavatory (便所 / べんじょ). In old houses like these it wasn’t common to have a full bathroom as we know it today, so these spaces were often separated for convenience.

Regarding the ‘passage space’ mentioned above, the corridors in the house basically stretch around the house in a U-shape that connect the reception room, the exterior of the living space to the kitchen. The corridors on the northern and eastern sides of the building are absolutely beautiful as they feature large paneled windows that would have allowed the family to enjoy a view of the exterior of the building.

One of the most significant design features (as far as I’m concerned at least) for this space is the beautiful ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ) sliding door verandas on the northern side that allow for natural air to enter the buildings, while also offering direct access to the backyard.

The significant thing about the engawa is that you can essentially think of it in three different sections. The top part features windows that you could tilt open, while the sliding doors allowed the panels to slide back and forth. Finally, the lower section features a slide-able wooden panel section that allows fresh air to come into the building. Each of these three sections is part of a genius way to allow a varying amount of fresh air or wind in the building, based on personal preference - keeping in mind that this house was constructed long before air conditioning was invented.

Finally, the ‘living space’ consists of two sections, but is essentially one large open space with sliding panels on several sides for privacy. I’ve seen photos of the space when it still had its sliding panels installed and it was quite pretty, but they’ve since removed them to allow for a much larger and open space.

Suffice to say, it’s not likely that you’ll see the panels these days.

The first of the two sections is known as the living space (座敷 / ざしき), and is essentially a living room where the family could spend time together. Within this space you’d find an alcove referred to as tokonoma (床の間/とこのま) and a chigaidana (違棚 / ちがいだな), which are both spaces reserved for decorative elements of the living space. Within these spaces you’d likely find calligraphy, floral arrangements or simple artistic elements.

The second part of the living space is the area reserved for the family’s sleeping space (居間 / いま), which was essentially just an open space, save for another alcove known as an ‘oshiire’ (押入 / おしいれ), which is where the bedding would have been stored during the day. If you’re a fan of Japanese anime, this is the area of the house where Doraemon famously sleeps and is essentially just a closet with shelves. That space today is blocked by an old bureau where you’ll find photos of the various former tenants of the building over the past century.

In terms of its interior design, the house is much larger than most of the official dormitories that you can visit across Taiwan today. Still, no matter if these old houses are large or small, the interior design is extremely practical and functional with each space reserved for very specific purposes. While some of it may seem far too formal for most westerners, its a traditional architectural design from a hundred years ago when tradition started to meet modernity in a way that we can see how homes have transitioned into what we’re used to today. Some of the spaces within may seem needlessly spacious, especially since you have a large home with only one bedroom, but everything has a purpose and it’s all meant to exist in harmony.

Note the trees and plants surrounding the house

One of the elements that is (for most part) missing today, and rarely mentioned in articles about the place is the garden that surrounds the house. These days, most of the what once existed there has already been lost, but the yard was once impressively home to several lychee trees (荔枝樹), mango trees (芒果樹), longan trees (龍眼樹), banyan trees (榕樹) and pine trees (羅漢松) surrounding the house. Additionally there was a lotus flower pond (蓮花池), and scaffolding for sponge cucumbers (絲瓜棚架) and grapes (葡萄棚架) as well as a chicken coop and a well (where the parking lot exists today.

Some of the trees still exist on the property today, and it’s safe to assume that they were all planted by the original tenant, Principal Oki, who was a passionate gardener. Suffice to say, the trees you’ll find on the property are likewise nearing one hundred years, like the house!

Former Residence of Hsin Chih-Ping (辛志平校長故居)

At this point, it’s probably a good idea to take a minute or two of your time to talk about Principal Hsin Chih-Ping. Born in China shortly after the birth of the Republic of China, Hsin came to Taiwan in his early 30s along with almost two million refugees due to the communist take over over the country, and the retreat of the Chinese Nationalists during the civil war.

Taking the position of principal of the prestigious high school, Hsin’s leadership over a three decade period was one where its liberal approach to education produced a long list of successful business leaders, politicians, artists and even a Nobel laureate. Today, Hsinchu Senior High is one of the nation’s most highly regarded educational institutions, and as I mentioned earlier, is in large part due to the influence of Principal Hsin.

A passionate educator and athlete, Hsin is fondly remembered for his promotion of sports, including basketball and swimming as well as the arts and musical education and most of the photos you’ll see of the man in the house today are photos of him exercising with his students.

Essentially, Hsin took a modern “holistic approach to education emphasizing moral, physical, social and aesthetic education in addition to intellectual education” and his legacy at the school is one that cannot be understated as his influence can be found almost everywhere you go on campus.

Unfortunately there is very little about his life printed in English - I also don’t want to go into too much detail here - but I highly recommend checking out the article linked below, which I just quoted above, as it provides photos and a pretty good idea of how significant the man was.

Link: Opening the Doors to Liberal Education in Hsinchu—The Former Residence of Hsin Chih-ping (Taiwan Panorama)

Designated as a Protected Hsinchu Municipal Historic Property in 2002 (民國91年), the former principal’s residence was preserved thanks to the effort of local civic groups and alumni of the school, who sought to preserve the memory of their famed principal. The house is currently under the stewardship of the Hsinchu Cultural Bureau and is open to the public as a tourist destination to both enjoy the architectural beauty of the home as well as to learn about Hsin Chih-ping’s legacy.

Having lived in the residence for almost all of his professional career, the house offers an intimate look at the life of one of the city’s most well-known and well-loved figures through a number of exhibitions that offer a fitting tribute to his life.

While visitors could spend an hour or two in the house enjoying the exhibitions about Hsin’s life, if it weren’t for a bit of private enterprise cooperation, it would be the kind of tourist attraction where the government would constantly be in the red, given that it doesn’t create much revenue.

So, in order to recoup some of the operating fees, you’ll find a couple of extra attractions.

This kind of situation has become quite normal in recent years as a mixture of public and private cooperation has become formulaic for ensuring that buildings like this can continue to be restored across the country.

If you’re interested in the topic, I recommend you check out my article where I outline the government’s efforts to preserve historic buildings, while taking advantage of private sector partnerships to ensure sustainability.

Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan

Located to the right of the main entrance to the residence you’ll find a coffee shop named “VWII” which is owned by award-winning barista Chad Wang, offering interior and exterior seating. The coffee shop is an excellent place not only to enjoy some amazing coffee, but also just to sit and enjoy the view of the residence and the nature that surrounds it.

Hours: Open daily from 11:00 - 7:00.

Link: VWI by CHADWANG | VWI by CHADWANG (Facebook)

Next, directly to the rear of the residence you’ll find an interesting Taiwanese-style restaurant named TAIVII, which is the romanized version of “台味” or “Taiwanese flavors.

The concept restaurant offers a modern fine-dining take on a lot of local dishes, and although it looks like it can be quite expensive, the prices are pretty reasonable. Open from Tuesday to Sunday for lunch service (11:00-4:00) and dinner service (6:00-10:00), its a nice dining experience, especially after dark when the mansion is closed and you have the grounds to yourself.

While I’ve yet to personally have dinner at the restaurant, the reviews on Facebook and Google are glowing and the food photos look great. Hsinchu is full of amazing dining options though, so its difficult to choose where to eat! It’s recommended though that if you’re planning on dining at the restaurant that you make a reservation before going to ensure that you get a seat.

Link: TAIVII 餐酒館

Getting There

 

Address: #32 Dongmen Street, Hsinchu City (新竹市東門街32號)

GPS: 24.804380, 120.973920

Conveniently located within the heart of downtown Hsinchu City, the Former Residence of Hsin Chih-Ping is a short walk from both Hsinchu Train Station (新竹車站) and the Hsinchu Bus Terminal (新竹轉運站) making checking it out quite simple.

Not only is a it a short walk from the train station, there is also a YouBike Station next to the residence, so if you’re riding around town on one of the shared bicycles, you can easily park it and go check out the historic culture park and then hop back on and ride elsewhere.

From the train station, you’ll simply turn right and walk down Zhonghua Road (中華路) until you reach the large intersection where the road meets with Dongmen Street (東門街), and you’ll find the residence on the left. Google Maps estimates that it is about a six minute walk to the residence, but I’d say it’s even less than that, unless you get stuck behind a really long red light waiting to cross the road.

If you’re driving a car or a scooter, I recommend inputting the address or the GPS coordinates provided above to help map out your route to the park. If you’re driving a scooter, you should be able to easily find some free roadside parking spots nearby. If on the other hand you’re in the city and you’ve got a car with you, it’s going to be a little more difficult to find a space. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find a spot in the parking lot to the rear of the building, but given its proximity to the train station, spots there are hard to come by. Your best option would be to go to the Dong-da Bridge Parking Lot (東大路橋下中華停車場) nearby where you’re more likely to find a space and from there it’s a short walk to the park.

Keep in mind though that on weekends and during the holiday, it can be difficult to find a spot.

Dong-da Bridge Parking Lot (東大橋下中華停車場)

Address: 新竹市中華路二段270號之1號

While in the area there is quite a bit to see and do. I highly recommend any visitor to Hsinchu check out the City God Temple, Dongmen Market (東門市場), Hsinchu Park (新竹公園) where you’ll find the Hsinchu Zoo (新竹動物園) as well as the Confucius Temple (新竹孔廟) and the Lakeside Ryotei (湖畔料亭) and a number of other attractions in the area.

There’s always a lot to do in the windy city, so you’ll never be bored!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I’m a big fan of these historic Japanese-era buildings. You’re also likely aware that I’m not always a big fan of the restoration work that has been done on them, as well as the arbitrary usage of the interior space once they’ve been restored. This one has been restored for a few years now, so it’s not as shiny and new as some of its contemporaries, but the architecture of the building is absolutely beautiful and the exhibition spaces inside are modest enough that they don’t get in the way. If you find yourself in the Hsinchu area, I highly recommend a stop by to check out this historic residence and learn a bit about its former owner.

References

  1. 辛志平校長故居 (新竹市觀光旅遊網)

  2. 辛志平校長故居 (Wiki)

  3. 辛志平校長故居 | The Residence of Hsin Chih-Ping (新竹市文化局)

  4. 辛志平校長故居 (新竹市文化資產)

  5. 辛志平校長故居 (國家文化資產網)

  6. 辛志平校長故居 - 開啟新竹自由教育之風 (台灣光華雜誌)

  7. 辛志平校長故居整體再利用規劃 (王惠君, 臺灣記憶)

  8. The Former Residence of Hsin Chih-ping (台灣外交部 / 臺灣記憶)

  9. The Former Residence of Principal Hsin Chih-Ping (Orphaned Nation)

  10. 辛志平 (Wiki)

  11. 大木俊九郎 (Wiki)

  12. 國立新竹高級中學 | National Hsinchu Senior High School (Wiki)

  13. 州立新竹中學校其二 (新竹市地方寶藏資料庫)

  14. 州立新竹中學校其一 (新竹市地方寶藏資料庫)

  15. 辛志平校長故居調查研究暨修復計劃總結成果報告書 (王惠君, 郭英釗)

  16. 新竹州 | Shinchiku Prefecture (Wiki)


Hsinchu Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場)

Years ago, when I first started combining photography with writing about Taiwan, I didn’t really have any idea where this whole blogging thing would take me. I figured I’d simply share photos of places I was traveling to in my free time with a bit of information about them. Then one day, on a scooter trip to Hsinchu, I decided to stop by the yet to be restored Longtan Martial Arts Hall thanks to a tip from a friend. That visit spawned a several-year long research project into Taiwan’s Japanese Colonial era, resulting in visiting almost all of the remaining Martial Arts Halls as well as many other train stations, civic buildings, dormitories, etc. 

What started out as a simple visit to a semi-abandoned building transformed this space into one of the most authoritative spaces on the web that tells the story of these former Martial Arts Halls; Having visited a large percentage of the halls that remain in Taiwan today, I decided to write a general guide so that people could learn more about their complicated history.  

Link: The Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣の武德殿)

More specifically, the guide features a list of sixteen remaining halls, most of which have been restored and re-opened to the public as historic tourist destinations. There were a few on the list however that were somewhat questionable as to whether or not they’d ever be restored. The Xinzhuang Martial Arts Hall (新莊武德殿) and the former Hsinchu Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場), for example were two that had an uncertain future.

I’m happy to report however that the Xinzhuang Martial Arts Hall is currently being restored, and it should be re-opened within the next year or two. Even better is that the Hsinchu Prison Hall has already been restored and is open to the public. If you know me, I follow these developments pretty closely, and I had seen news and some photos regarding the start of the restoration process of the latter, but I never really expected that it’d be completed so quickly!

I’m happy to report that I’m here with yet another article introducing one of the nation’s newest fully restored Martial Arts Hall - Before I start though, I have to give some mad props to the Hsinchu City Government, which did an amazing job restoring this historic building. Likewise, I have to give them credit for what I consider to be the most informative and comprehensive descriptions of the history and the architecture of the building that I’ve seen. In most cases, I’d find myself stuck in the library of the national archives doing extensive research on the architectural specifics of these buildings, but almost all of the information that anyone needs to learn about the hall is provided within, which is great! 

I don’t consider myself easily impressed given that over the years I’ve observed despite a willingness on the part of the government to spend a bunch of money restoring these buildings, rarely is the due diligence ever done when it comes to telling their story properly. The Hsinchu City Government though has gone above and beyond - and that is something that has observably become the norm as of late as the Hsinchu Aqueduct (新竹街水道取水口), features similarly thorough informative displays.

With the massive Hsinchu Public Hall (新竹公會堂) set to reopen in the near future, I find myself quite optimistic for what the city will do with the space, especially since Japanese-era buildings of its size and importance are about as rare as the Martial Arts Halls.

It seems like there are few places in Taiwan that are doing as well as Hsinchu with regard to its preservation of historic buildings, so I’m sure I’ll be visiting the city quite often in the coming months and years!  

Hsinchu Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場)

In 1900 (明治33年), construction on Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan started with the first in Taipei (臺北州/たいほくしゅう), Taichung (臺中廳/たいちゅうちょう) and Tainan (臺南廳/たいなんちょう) initially meant to assist in the training of the local police in martial arts. It wasn’t until after the “Taiwan Butokuden Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” (大日本武德會臺灣支部) was established in 1906 however that we started to see these Martial Arts Halls popping up all over the island.

By 1920 (大正9年), the organization was given a directive from the central government to start construction on Martial Arts Halls in each of Taiwan’s prefectures culminating in the eventual construction of more than two-hundred across the Island over the next two decades.

In Taiwan, the halls initially served the purpose of training the police, military and prison guards in Japanese martial arts disciplines. Later, they opened up to the general public in an attempt to train the citizens of Taiwan in Japanese martial arts, as well as instilling "Japanese Spirit," better known as Yamato-damashii (大和魂).

While they weren’t considered civic buildings, the Martial Arts Halls were often constructed in strategic locations within cities and towns close to the governing district. This helped the government to better pass down directives to the organization in addition to ensuring that funding was available to help promote Martial Arts disciplines and Japanese cultural values. 

As I introduced in my guide to Taiwan’s Martial Art Halls, more than two-hundred of these buildings were constructed across the island, varying in size based on their status within the  hierarchy of the organization. Of that total, eleven were classified as “Prison Branches” (刑務所), where staff of the prisons around the island were trained in Martial Arts and self-defense techniques. 

Keeping in mind that the Prison Branches were the rarest of the bunch, its pretty cool that a handful of them continue to exist today, namely the Taichung Martial Arts Hall (臺中刑務所演武場), the yet to be restored Tainan Prison Martial Arts Hall (臺南刑務所演武場) and the former Shinchiku Prefecture Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場).

To introduce the history of this nearly one hundred year old building, we first have to talk about the reason for which it was constructed, given that it was just a small piece of the Shinchiku Juvenile Prison (新竹少年刑務所 / しんちくしょうねんけいむしょ), the first of its kind in Taiwan.

Officially established on October 7th, 1926 (昭和元年), the detention centre had a maximum capacity of just over five-hundred inmates, and came fully equipped with recreational facilities, a Shinto Shrine, a church, staff housing (just outside of the walls), and of course the Martial Arts Hall. That being said, official records from the Japanese-era state that even though the facility was where all of Taiwan’s juvenile criminals were imprisoned, there were never more than 350 inmates at any given time.

The history of the prison facility however dates back several decades prior as it was originally the Hsinchu Branch of the Taipei Prison (台北監獄署新竹支署), which opened in 1896 (明知29年). Over next few decades the facility was renamed several times, while also expanding with the construction of new buildings while the colonial government was busy refining Taiwan’s territorial boundaries and civil system. By 1923, the prison was one of the four largest on the island, but was still re-designated three years later into Taiwan’s first Juvenile Penitentiary.

Although it has been repaired, expanded and rebuilt on several occasions, the prison has stayed in continuous operation for 130 years, becoming the Hsinchu Prison (新竹監獄) after the end of the Second World War until now.

As part of the continued expansion of the prison and the facilities that surrounded it, a Martial Arts Hall was constructed within the community of employee housing along the eastern wall. Completed in 1935 (昭和10年), the hall served as a space to assist the employees of the prison in the art of self defense.

As we’ve seen with some of the other Martial Arts Halls around the country, the official name of the hall was a long and convoluted one, officially known as the ‘Hsinchu Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Dojo’ (新竹少年刑務所演武場 / しんちくしょうねんけいむしょえんぶじょう).

While still falling under the operational control of the (equally convoluted) “Taiwan Budoken Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” (大日本武德會臺灣支部), this particular hall was regarded as an “enbujo” (演武場 / えんぶじょう), or a “Martial Arts Performance Centre” rather than a full-fledged “Budokuden” (武德殿 / ぶとくでん) given that the Hsinchu Martial Arts Hall (新竹武德殿) was located a short distance away.

For those who can’t differentiate between the Chinese characters, it can be a bit confusing given that the majority of Taiwan’s remaining Martial Arts Halls are referred to in Japanese as “Butokuden”.

Link: The Hsinchu Prison Butokuden and Dormitories (新竹演武場) Over The City

It was common however during the Japanese-era to refer to also use either “Budojo” (武道場), “Renbukan” (練武館) or “Enbujo” (演武場) to refer to the halls. Essentially, the naming of the halls, or at least their official designation was part of a formula used to differentiate their structural hierarchy within the organization.  

While the ‘enbujo’ variety tended to be smaller, the key thing to remember is that in their official names you’d still find the words “Butoku Kai” (武德會) preceding the rest of the name - In this case, this hall would have been officially referred to as a “Butoku Kai Enbujo”  (武德會演武場 / ぶとくかいえんぶじょう).

I realize this all might seem a bit confusing, but the Japanese are known for strict adherence to organizational hierarchy, which if you’re able to figure out actually makes sense.

Despite its size, the Martial Arts Hall offered the same classes that you’d find at any of the others around Taiwan with one side of the building reserved for Judo (柔道), and the other for Kendo (劍道). The exterior of the building likewise would have had a space for practicing Kyudo (弓道), otherwise known as Japanese archery.

Suffice to say, the Martial Arts Hall was constructed only a decade prior to the end of the colonial era, so in 1945, when the Japanese relinquished control of Taiwan under the terms of their surrender, the hall ceased being used for its original purpose. After the war, the Chinese Nationalists used it for housing for prison staff as there was a housing crisis caused by the millions of refugees who fled to Taiwan with the incoming regime.

To meet the needs of the residents of the building, alterations were made to its original design over the years making it a shadow of its former self some hideous modern additions that covered up almost all of its architectural design. Suffice to say, the building and most of the dorms that surround the prison were eventually abandoned as they aged, and the residents found more comfortable accommodations elsewhere. 

The Martial Arts Hall was officially registered as a Hsinchu City Protected Heritage Building (市定古蹟) on July 26th, 2012, which by law meant that plans would have to be drawn up to have the building restored.

It ended up taking a few years, but restoration on the building started in the summer of 2018.

Then, after a several year-long restoration project, the Martial Arts Hall officially reopened to the public on November 11th, 2021, a little over three years after the project started. 

Before I move on to introducing the architectural design of the Martial Arts Hall, I’ll provide a brief timeline of events in order to give you a better idea of its history: 

Martial Arts Hall Timeline

  • 1895 (明治28年) - Japan takes control of Taiwan and starts its occupation of the island. 

  • 1896 (明治29年) - The Hsinchu Branch of the Taipei Prison (台北縣新竹監獄署) is established. 

  • 1900 (明治33年) - Taiwan’s first Martial Arts Halls are constructed in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.

  • 1923 (明治30年) - The Prison is renamed “Hsinchu Prison” (新竹刑務所) 

  • 1926 (昭和元年) - The Hsinchu Juvenile Prison (新竹少年刑務所) is officially established. 

  • 1935 (昭和10年) - The Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場) is established.

  • 1945 (民國34年) - Japan surrenders to the allies and control of of Taiwan is given to the ROC.

  • 1945 (民國34年) - The Juvenile Prison is officially renamed Hsinchu Prison (新竹監獄)

  • 1945 - 2012 - The Martial Arts Hall is used as a dormitory for Prison employees (監獄員工宿舍). 

  • 2012 (民國101年) - The Martial Arts Hall is registered as a protected historic building (市定古蹟). 

  • 2018 (民國107年) - Restoration on the Martial Halls Hall begins.

  • 2020 (民國109年) - Restoration on the hall is officially completed.    

  • 2021 (民國110年) - The Martial Arts Hall officially reopens as a tourist attraction. 

Architectural Design

As I mentioned above, this Martial Arts Hall can be considered one of the most ‘complete’ of the few that remain in Taiwan today, given that both the main section of the hall and the annex remain intact. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that in recent years, there has been more emphasis put into ensuring that the larger halls around the country are restored in a way they are as ‘complete’ as this one.

To explain what I mean, when these Martial Arts Halls were originally constructed during the Japanese era, they almost always included an annex building, used as an administrative and living space. Additionally, you were also likely to find space on the exterior of the building reserved for traditional Japanese archery.

When the halls started being restored, almost all of the attention was placed solely on the main hall, leaving the rest of the facility more or less incomplete.

Thankfully, due to the popularity of the Martial Arts Halls as tourist attractions, and the potential for the annex to be used as an exhibition space, or a spot that could be rented out, they’ve started to make their reappearance next to some of the already restored halls. Most recently, the Daxi Martial Arts Hall (大溪武德殿), the Qishan Martial Arts Hall (旗山武德殿), the Changhua Martial Arts Hall (彰化武德殿) and the Taichung Prison Martial Arts Hall (臺中刑務所演武場) are a few examples where the annex was added after the restoration of the main hall.

Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan

One of the main differences between the halls mentioned above and this particular hall is that the annex building was connected directly to the rest of the building, and was restored simultaneously making it a complete experience. Yet another reason for my high level of praise for the building. 

Officially, the Martial Arts is split into three ‘sections’, but architecturally-speaking it’s much easier to just say its split into two given the difference in the materials used to construct each side.

The Martial Arts side was constructed with a mixture of brick, wood and reinforced concrete, one of the defining characteristics of the period when it was built. The annex side on the other hand was constructed with traditional Japanese architecture in mind in that it was constructed primarily of wood. 

Keeping in mind that this is inherently a ‘east-west fusion’ style building, there are some obvious design differences between the two sections, but it’s important to first note where they are the same: To start, both sections are elevated off of the ground on a concrete base. One of the things that Japanese architects learned quickly upon arrival in Taiwan was that the island’s termites are a feisty bunch so in order to preserve the structural integrity and the longevity of buildings, it was common for all of them to be elevated off the ground. However, given that this is a Martial Arts Hall, the elevation is a bit higher than ordinary buildings as the it features a network of springs beneath the floor allowing for some spring in your step.

This is yet another area where the restoration of the hall shines as it is (currently) one of two where you’ll still find springs beneath the floor, adding to the ‘completeness’ mentioned above.   

The next similarity is that both sides of the building were designed using the traditional Japanese Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造 / いりもやづくり) architectural design. What this means is that the building makes use of a variation of the ‘hip-and-gable’ roof, and that the base of the building, known as the ‘moya’ (母屋) was constructed in a way that it is much smaller than the roof, but is able to support its weight. In this case, the roof, which isn’t nearly as grand in design as the Taichung Prison Martial Arts Hall only slightly eclipses the base. That being said, the subdued design of the roof doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a lot going on as it seamlessly ‘cuts’ from the higher section of the Martial Arts Hall to the lower annex section.

This where you’ll find the next important architectural similarity - The roof of the Martial Arts Hall and the annex was designed using the ubiquitous kirizuma-zukuri (妻造的樣式) style, which is one of the oldest and most commonly used designs in Japan. Translated simply as a “cut-out gable” roof, this style of design is one of the simplest of Japan’s various ‘hip-and-gable’ roofs.

The vast majority of the information you’ll find available about the Martial Hall’s architectural design mentions that the roof was constructed using traditional Japanese black tiles (日式黑瓦), but doesn’t really go much further in explaining the finer details of the roof. Fortunately, I’ve been at this for a while, so I’m able to provide a little more in terms of the design aspects of the roof where you’ll find the following as listed on the diagram below.   

  1. Hiragawara (平瓦 /ひらがわら) - A type of arc-shaped clay roofing tile.

  2. Munegawara (棟瓦 /むねがわら) - Ridge tiles used to cover the apex of the roof.

  3. Onigawara (鬼瓦/おにがわら) - Decorative roof tiles found at the ends of a main ridge.

  4. Nokigawara (軒瓦/のきがわら) - The roof tiles placed along the eaves lines.

  5. Noshigawara (熨斗瓦/のしがわら) - Thick rectangular tiles located under ridge tiles.

  6. Sodegawara (袖瓦/そでがわら) - Cylindrical sleeve tiles

  7. Tsuma (妻/つま) - The triangular shaped parts of the gable on the roof under the ridge.

  8. Hafu (破風板/ はふいた) - Bargeboards that lay flat against the ridge ends to finish the gable.

To describe it simply, a kirizuma-style roof has a section that ‘cuts’ out from the rest and faces outward like an open book (入), while the longer part is curved facing in the opposite direction.

In this specific case, if we think of the building as a single structure rather than one that is split in two, it is shaped somewhat like the letter “U”. The highest (and longest) section of the roof curves like an open book with the two ends acting as the ‘cut out’ sections. It then meets with the two branches that face in the opposite direction, which are also curved like an open book.  

Even though I mentioned above that the roof of this Martial Arts Hall isn’t as grand in comparison, it is still quite complicated in its architectural design and it’s 3D-like appearance. I recommend anyone who visits to walk around the entire perimeter of the building so that you can fully appreciate the complexity of its design. 

One thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that the black tiles mentioned had to be completely replaced with newer tiles, so the roof doesn’t as appear as ‘historic’ as it probably should.

You can find some very thorough displays featuring the original tiles within the annex building, which I highly recommend you take some time to enjoy.

Now, let’s talk about how the two parts of the building are different. 

Starting with the Martial Arts Hall side, it was constructed with a concrete base, bricks and reinforced concrete on the exterior and wood within the interior. The front facade of the building makes use of a fusion style of architectural design in that it features Western-style Art-Deco elements with the inclusion of a traditional Japanese-style kurumayose (車寄/くるまよせ) porch directly in the middle of the building.

The porch had to be completely rebuilt during the recent restoration process, and features a similarly designed kirizuma-style roof facing in the opposite direction of the roof above, adding to the three dimensional design of the building. This would have proven to be one of the most difficult aspects of the restoration project as the team would have had to consult nearly century-old blueprints to faithfully reconstruct the portico.

One of the design similarities that you’ll find on this building and others built during the Showa era are the wooden-panel glass windows that mix with the reinforced concrete on three sides of the building. With two of the large windows on each side of the porch on the front of the building as well as three on the eastern and western sides, the windows allow for a considerable amount of natural light in the building when the sun is up. 

Moving on to the interior of the building, the hall is split into two sections (hence the three buildings mentioned above) where half of the building was reserved as a space for Judo (柔道場) while the other half was reserved for Kendo (劍道場). Both sides of the building feature the same hardwood spring floor (彈簧地板) that allows the floor to better absorb the shock of people constantly being thrown around.

The interior space has a height of 270 centimeters in the main building with the total interior space listed as 206.2㎡. What that number unfortunately doesn’t tell us is the exact measurement of space reserved for each section of the building. Even though the Martial Arts Hall is relatively small in comparison to the others around Taiwan, the interior space of the main building remains quite spacious as it was always more or less a completely open space.

Working together with the windows on the three reinforced-concrete sides of the Martial Arts Hall, you’ll find another large windowed section on the side of the building directly opposite to the door. The wooden annex section of the building has two wings that face outward from the rest of hall separated by this space.

The smaller wing on the right is where the restrooms were located, while the larger side on the left was the administrative and living space for those who worked at the hall.  As you pass through the Martial Arts Area you’ll find another door to your left that would have served as the main entrance for those working or living there. Directly next to that porch area you’ll find two rooms with tatami mats on the floor.

The first of the rooms you’ll find in the annex section would have served as a living space, while the room next to that features a “tokonoma” (床の間/とこのま), indicating that it was a sleeping space. These days you’ll find some pretty awesome informative displays about the history and architectural design of the building in these rooms.

As far as I’m concerned, the star of this section is the beautiful ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ) that reaches around the building in what seems like an almost 90 degree angle. Essentially a glass-covered panel with sliding doors, the space is one that absolutely glows in the afternoon sun, and would have made living in the hall an enjoyable experience, especially with the breeze flowing through the veranda when the sliding doors were open.

On a recent visit to the Qidong Dorms in Taipei, I found myself engaged in a long conversation with a volunteer working there, who is somewhat of an expert in Taiwan’s Japanese-era architecture. One of the things that he mentioned that stuck with me was how these 90 degree glass paneled verandas were something that (at the time) you’d only find here in Taiwan given that there were some variations on traditional Japanese architectural design in the colony. While I’m unsure that it is still the case back in Japan, these ‘L’ shaped glass-covered walls were pretty cool and the natural light that they allowed into the building.

Although, I can’t really imagine the terror you would have felt when a typhoon was rolling through town.

Getting There

 

Address: #18-20 Guangzhou Street, Alley #20, Hsinchu City (新竹市北區廣州街20巷20號)

GPS: 24.804621, 120.960528

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday from 9:00am to 17:00pm. 

Car / Scooter

As always, if you’re driving a car or scooter, I recommend copying the address provided above into your GPS or your Google Maps to map out the route most suitable for you. If you’re in Hsinchu, it shouldn’t take you much time to arrive at the hall given that it is located just outside the historic downtown core of the city.

If you’re driving a car, you should be able to find roadside parking nearby on Beida Road (北大路), but you may have to circle around to find a space. Unfortunately, paid parking lots are somewhat of a distance away, so if you find yourself searching for a spot you might just want to go to one of the paid spaces near the jail.

If you’re driving a scooter on the other hand, you can park directly across the street, or in any of the designated scooter parking spaces nearby. You could even park in the alley directly across from the main entrance to the hall if you’re visiting on a day when there aren’t many tourists.

Bus

With a bus stop located directly across the street from the Martial Arts Hall, getting there by bus is one of your best options if you find yourself in town without access to your own means of transportation.

From the Hsinchu Railway Station, you can conveniently take either Bus #10, or Bus #23 to the hall, getting off at the aptly named Service Centre Bus Stop (服務中心站).

Click on the links provided above to access time tables for each of the bus routes.

YouBike

Another excellent way to get around Hsinchu is to enjoy the city on one of the YouBikes that are available for rent. If you arrive in town on the train, you can easily grab a Youbike near the station and explore all that the historic city has to offer at your own leisure.

You may have heard that Hsinchu is somewhat notorious for its chaotic traffic, but riding a Youbike around town is actually quite comfortable thanks to the wide roads.

From the train station, it’s a 1.4km ride to the Martial Arts Hall riding along Linsen Road (林森路) and Shengli Road (勝利路), both of which are large bike friendly roads. There are a number of locations where you’ll probably want to stop along the way, so I recommend using Google Maps on your phone to map out your route so you don’t get lost.

Trust me, Hsinchu is a city where you can easily find yourself losing your way while exploring the historic streets. That’s not entirely a bad thing though.

If you’ve been following all of the work I’ve done on the Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan over the past few years, it should be fairly obvious from this article that I’m quite pleased with the addition of this particular hall the collection. Not only was its restoration and subsequent re-opening somewhat unexpected, I have to give the Hsinchu City Government some massive props for the amazing restoration job as well as the effort put into providing informative and educational materials about the history of the hall, the juvenile prison and the city during the Japanese-era.

What amazed me most were the detailed and graphic heavy descriptions of the architectural design of the hall, something that I often have to spend quite a bit of time researching.

Very few of the other remaining Martial Arts Halls around the country today offer even a fraction of the detailed historic information as this one, so if I’m this impressed, I’m sure others may also appreciate the hard work put into making this Martial Arts Hall a great spot to visit!

References

  1. 新竹少年刑務所演武場 (Wiki)

  2. 新竹少年刑務所 (Wiki)

  3. 臺灣的武德殿 (Wiki)

  4. 新竹州 | Shinchiku Prefecture (Wiki)

  5. 台灣武德殿發展之研究 (黃馨慧)

  6. 市定古蹟「新竹少年刑務所演武場」 修繕動工 (自由時報)

  7. 新竹監獄化身藝文空間!「新竹少年刑務所演武場」開館,一窺日治時期古蹟木構磚造建築特色 (Shopping Design)

  8. 新竹少年刑務所演武場 (國家文化資產網)

  9. 新竹少年刑務所演武場 (Path of Sunrise)

  10. 新竹日治時代監獄變身藝文空間!走進演武場的前世今生 (LaVie)

  11. 新竹武德殿 (The Memory of Hsinchu City)

  12. The Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan