Japanese Dormitories

Tamsui Police Commissioners Residence (淡水日本警官宿舍)

I’ve you’ve lived in Taiwan long enough, you may have noticed that the Taipei MRT has changed the romanized name it uses for Tamsui Station (淡水捷運站) on a couple of occasions. Whenever these things happen, it usually follows with heated public debate and questions as to why they’re once again wasting money on these unnecessary changes. Suffice to say, whatever ‘official’ reason is given for the change, most people know that they’re actually politically motivated.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I remember during the most recent incident, one of the reasons given for the change to ‘Danshui’ was that International tourists couldn’t pronounce ‘Tamsui’, so they had to change it to something more recognizable. ‘Danshui’ which is the Mandarin pronunciation romanized into Hanyu Pinyin (漢語拼音) was thought to be more foreign-friendly than the original name of the area, ‘Tamsui’, which is the Taiwanese-Hokkien pronunciation. Nevertheless, the change didn’t last very long as it was quickly changed back.   

Given that the area has been referred to as ‘Tamsui’ for hundreds of years, it comes across as a bit odd that there are all of these contemporary naming issues, but Taiwan can be a pretty complicated place at times, and it’s well-known that the Chinese Nationalists were never really big fans of the local language. The irony however, is that during the Japanese-era, the original name remained exactly the same. During that half-century period, ‘Tamsui’ (淡水) simply became known as Tansui (淡水郡 / たんすゐぐん), the Japanese pronunciation of the original name.

Geographically, the Tamsui District (淡水區) of today is considerably smaller than the Tamsui District (淡水郡) of the Japanese era, in that the latter consisted of districts that currently make up New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門區), Sanzhi District (三芝區) and Bali District (八里區) - known during the Japanese era as Sekimon-sho (石門庄 / せきもんょう), Sanshiba-sho (三芝庄 / さんしょう) and Hachiri-sho (八里庄 / はちりしょう) respectively. The district also included the main town of Tansui (淡水街 / たんすいまち), where a considerable amount of commerce and international trade was taking place.

The area ended up being so vital to the Japanese colonial government that they quickly got to work on the construction of the twenty kilometer-long Tamsui Branch Line (淡水線 / たんすい) that followed the east bank of the Danshui River from the capital. The railway was a game changer for the district, which originally acted as a port of trade with China, in turn sending products down the river into Dadaocheng (大稻埕) or Bangkha (艋舺). The completion of the railway in 1901 allowed for a more efficient process of getting things to the capital, making the port town an important one for the colonial government with regard to transporting things from the Japanese mainland to Taiwan, easing some of the congestion from the other northern port in Keelung (基隆). More importantly however, the branch railway kept the people of the area connected with the capital in a way that ensure that it would always remain an important part of Taipei.

Note: The Tamsui Line consisted of the following stations: Daitotei (大稻埕), Hokumon (北門), Taihoku (台北), Taishogai (大正街), Soren (雙連), Maruyama (圓山), Miyanoshita (宮ノ下), Shirin (士林), Kirigan (石牌), Hokuto (北投), Kanto (關渡), Chikui (竹圍) and Tansui (淡水). For those unaware, these historic stations, which were in service from 1901 (or added in 1915) and make up much of what is today the Red Line (紅線) of the Taipei MRT, which replaced the original railway.

The ability to maintain it’s economic prosperity meant a lot for the people of the area, which is something that continues to be celebrated today with both domestic and international tourists making their way from the city to enjoy the Tamsui Old Street, it’s beautiful riverside, and a large number of historic buildings and tourist destinations. The prosperity enjoyed by the people of Tamsui during the colonial era is clearly visible along the old street today, where the architectural design of the buildings is indicative of what we’ve come to expect from any of the historic “Old Streets” (老街) that have been converted into tourist destinations.

Covering an area of 227km², and with a population of nearly 60,000, Tamsui was one of the many districts under the governance of Taihoku Prefecture (台北州 / たいほくしゅう). In 1920 (大正9年) however, the colonial government refined and redistricted Taiwan’s geographic and administrative system. This was when  ‘Tansui District’ (淡水郡), or county depending on your translation, was brought to life. The changes in administrative control required the construction of a new town hall, namely the Tamsui Town Office (淡水郡役所 / たんすゐぐんやくしょ) in addition to a number of new civic buildings in the port town including the post office, telecommunications office, etc. Likewise, even though there was already a police presence in the area, the redistricting now meant that police service in the area would be carried out by the local Tamsui Police Branch (淡水郡警察課) of the Taihoku Prefectural Police Service (台北州警務部).

All of this new local governance brought with it a number of important positions that had to be filled, similarly requiring a number of new official residences. While there were already a number of official residences in the area made available for teachers, police and other civil servants, the redistricting required the construction of housing for the mayor and the police chief, among others. Unfortunately, unlike a lot of other areas around the country, many of these official residences in Tamsui have already been torn down to make way for modern construction projects, making the few that remain quite important. Today, I’ll be introducing one of them, namely the former residence of the Tamsui Police Chief.

Recently restored and re-opened to the public as a tourist destination, the house is one of the few remaining wooden residences in Tamsui today, and given its proximity to the old street, it makes for an interesting stop if you find yourself in the area for the day.

As always, I’ll start by explaining the history of the residence, followed by its architectural design, and then end by offering directions on how to get there.

Tamsui Police Chief’s Residence (淡水日本警官宿舍)

Coinciding with the establishment of Tamsui District in the 1921 redistribution of Taiwan’s administrative regions, a number of buildings were constructed within the port town to facilitate the administrative upgrade the town was receiving. One of those buildings was the official residence provided to the district’s Police Chief.

Constructed a short distance from the Town Office mentioned above, the modest residence was built on the side of a hill that overlooked the bustling commercial area of Tamsui and the river, with a nice view of Guanyin Mountain in the distance. In terms of it’s size, the Japanese-Western fusion style residence was modest to say the least, especially in comparison to some of its contemporaries.

Unfortunately for all of the Police Chiefs who served in Tamsui over the next two and a half decades of the colonial era, and then into the post-war era, the building was constructed a year prior to the Governor General’s Office enacting a law (台灣總督府官舍建築標準) regarding official building standards in Taiwan - Those new standards specified a clear set of regulations regarding the size of buildings provided for civil servants of various ranks, 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). Meant to improve the living standards in the housing provided for civil servants as well as to encourage staff to work hard and earn a promotion in order to receive more comfortable housing for their families.

Granted, the Police Chief of Tamsui District wouldn’t have been on the same level of the bureaucratic hierarchy as the Police Commissioner of Hsinchu, but if you compare the two residences, you’ll notice a considerable difference in their size.

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

According to my research for the article linked above, 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 the building should be at least 165㎡ (50坪) in size accompanied, by a plot of land that was at least 1003㎡ (303.5坪). The Tamsui District Police Chief (淡水郡警察課長), however would have been considered a Level Four Senior Official (高等官官舍第四種) and thus would have been afforded a residence up to 109㎡ (33坪) in size, with a plot of land up to 440㎡ (132坪). Constructed a year prior to the new regulations, the residence is 73㎡ (22坪) in size and the total size of the land is 241㎡ (73坪), considerably smaller than it would have been if it were constructed a year later.

If you’re wondering why I’ve gone off on this size tangent, the answer comes in a few different forms - The first being that it would have been one of the reasons that the position as the Police Chief of Tamsui district would have been considered a stepping-stone to something bigger and better. This will become more obvious in the list of residents I’m providing below. The second reason is that in the post-war era, the residence continued to be occupied by the local police chief, but when the housing crisis in Taiwan (brought on by the influx of several million Chinese refugees) stabilized, officials elected to find their own housing.

Below you’ll find a list of the residents of the building during the Japanese era, or at least from 1921-1945. You’ll notice there was quite a turn around for these Police Chiefs, but it’s not that the job was terrible, as mentioned above, it was essentially a position that would have propelled people to bigger and better things. In each case though, whether it was for a few years, or a few months, the residence was made available to the chief and his family.

Japanese-era Residents (淡水郡警察課長)

  1. 1921 (大正10年) 竹內健藏

  2. 1924 (大正13年) 高橋秀二

  3. 1924 (大正13年) 手貝千代志

  4. 1925 (大正14年) 倉持泰

  5. 1926 (昭和元年) 高橋政吉

  6. 1927 (昭和2年) 小泉清

  7. 1928 (昭和3年) 蘆田俊

  8. 1931 (昭和6年) 酒井林藏

  9. 1936 (昭和11年) 金丸繁治

  10. 1938 (昭和13年) 清水增吉

  11. 1939 (昭和14年) 久保田豐太郎

  12. 1941 (昭和16年) 神代文治

When Japan surrendered at the end of the Second World War, the shame of defeat was too much for some of it citizens, especially for some of the police who had also served as members of the military. In what is possibly the first case I’ve come across where something like this happened, the humiliation of defeat was so unbearable that two of the residents of the house hung themselves inside, which would cause some complications during the post-war era.

From what I found during my research, the residence continued to serve as the official residence for the Police Chief of Tamsui in the post-war era - The thing is though, that no one lived in the building until a few years after the arrival of the Chinese Nationalists. Given the housing crisis that took place in the early years of the Nationalists retreat to Taiwan, it’s a bit strange. The reason for this, I’m assuming was based on a couple of different reasons - The first is that the house was constructed on the site of a Qing-era graveyard. The second is that the two Japanese who hung themselves in the building would have made it a ‘haunted house’ (凶宅) according to Chinese cultural standards.

It wasn’t until 1951 (民國40年) that the house started being occupied again. Similar to what happened during the Japanese era, the men who served as Police Chief in Tamsui only ever lasted for a few years, with the house being occupied by a number of police chiefs, including Sun Zhao (孫肇), He Qi (何琦), Chang Yifei (張一飛), Chang Jianxun (張建勳) and Jin Fuhai (金福海). Going back to a point I made earlier though, as the housing situation stabilized in Taiwan, few actually wanted to continue living in the residence provided to them.

Thus, the last official residents of the building were the Deputy Police Chief (淡水警分局副分局長), Jin Fuhai and his wife Lin Meimei (林美美) who moved into the residence in 1968 (民國57年). Living in the house long after the death of her husband, Lin Meimei enjoyed the comfort of the historic building for well over four decades until she moved out in 2007 (民國96年). Ms. Lin could have lived out the rest of her life in the house, but even though she absolutely loved all the time she spent there, she also recognized that if she continued living there, the nearly one-hundred year old historic property would eventually be lost completely, like so many of Taiwan’s other historic buildings. Vacating the residence in 2007, the building was quickly registered as a protected New Taipei City Historic Property (新北市歷史建築) that same year, with plans to have it restored.

Sitting abandoned for over half a decade, Ms. Lin was unimpressed with the long bureaucratic process that slowed down the restoration of the building and it’s reported that she pressed authorities on several occasions throughout the years to start the restoration work before it was too late. Still, it took until 2013 for the government to send researchers to the building to start the process of documenting the building and coming up with a plan for its restoration. The restoration proposal was completed in 2015 and the government opened up a tender for companies to bid on the project. Finally, twelve years after Ms. Lin moved out, the historic residence was reopened to the public in December of 2019 under the operational control of the Tamsui Historical Museum (淡水古蹟博物館), which curates a number of exhibits within the many historic buildings in the area.

Although it may seem like I was criticising the size of the building earlier, it is actually one of the buildings strongest aspects at the moment as they haven’t been able to fill it with a bunch of pointless exhibition pieces; It’s possible that this could change in the future, but during my visit, I highly enjoyed that the few things put on display within the building focused solely on its history and architectural design. They didn’t add a bunch of needless display pieces to take up space, they just left the building open, which allows visitors to enjoy the space a lot more than a lot of the other buildings that have been restored in recent years.

Now that I’ve gone over a bit of the history of the building, I’m going to spend some time explaining its architectural design.

Architectural Design

I had a bit of a good time with some of the ‘official’ descriptions of the residence’s architectural design, especially those coming from the government - Described as a fusion-style of architectural design, some of the information available about the building from the tourism bureau will claim that it is a fusion of Japanese, Western and Taiwanese design. While that is partly true, the building was originally designed as a Japanese-Western fusion (和洋並置), with what I suppose you could refer to as ‘Taiwanese’ elements added to the building in the post-war era.

The problem with describing these additions as ‘Taiwanese’ elements however doesn’t give much credit to Taiwanese architectural design. The residence was expanded during the stay of Police Chief Sun Zhao (孫肇), who lived there for seven years from 1951-1958. The expansion which merely added a reinforced concrete section to the back of the house provided a bit more space, but wasn’t inherently ‘Taiwanese’ in design, so I’d go as far as to say that anyone who makes these claims is doing a disservice to traditional Taiwanese design.

For you naysayers, I assure you, there is far more to Taiwanese architectural design than the pouring of concrete.

Not sure what happened here. It’s probably where the restoration team removed some of the additions.

As mentioned above, the residence is a total of 73㎡ (22坪), making it quite small in terms of Japanese-era houses. Nevertheless, the layout of the building adheres to traditional Japanese architectural design 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, the “living space” is essentially a multi-functional space where the residents spend time together having meals, drinking tea and sleeping. The “service space” on the other hand includes a number of functional spaces including the kitchen, bathroom, washroom, etc. Finally, the “passage space” generally refers to the various entrances, and the corridors within. One of the important things to keep in mind with regard to traditional Japanese-style residences like this is that 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.

As I’ve done in the past, I’ll make use of the floor plan to briefly introduce each of the various spaces within the residence to better explain their function. To make things easier to understand, I’ve numbered each of the space on the plan above so that you know which part of the house I’m referring to:

Passage Space (通行空間)

(1) The front entrance, or the ‘foyer’ to the residence is known in Japan as a ‘genkan’ (玄關 / げんかん), and features compartments for shoes, umbrellas, etc. The foyer is located on ground-level as opposed to the rest of the building, which is elevated. Once you enter the building you’ll find a set of stairs that brings you up to the core parts of the building. As part of the separation of the public and private parts of the home, the foyer has two doors, one directly ahead that leads to the private space and another on the left that leads to the reception room.

(2) Regarded as a ‘transitionary’ space, the ‘toritsugi’ (取次 / とりつぎ), or the second foyer was directly in front of the main entrance to the residence. Once you walked up the stairs to the main area, you’d find a small space with another set of sliding doors that opened up to the tea room. This space is somewhat ceremonial, but also functional in that it offers another storage space for coats, while the space below was reserved for shoes and umbrellas.

(3) What I’d consider the best part of living in this house, and the part of every traditional Japanese home that I appreciate the most is what is know as the ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ). This is essentially a wide corridor on the side of the building that overlooks the river and features sliding glass doors that open up to the yard in addition to sliding panels that open up to the living space, with another door connecting to the guest space. The sliding glass doors would have allowed for a significant amount of natural air to breeze through the residence, offering a natural air conditioner of sorts, but the best part of this space is that the residents could spend hours sitting on the covered veranda watching the hustle and bustle of the street below as well as the boats passing by in the river.

Finally, within the building you’ll find a number of corridors that connect each of the spaces with 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. Most of them are located on the northern and southern sections of the building, with the middle section reserved as the living space.

Living Space (起居空間)

(5-6) Within the private area, you’ll find the most spacious area of the home, which is typically separated into two sections known as the ‘zashiki’ (座敷 / ざしき) and the ‘ima’ (居間 / いま), which together act as what we’d consider a ‘living room’ and a ‘bedroom’ however, they’re a bit more complex than that. Within the ‘ima’ section, which acts as the sleeping space, you’ll find alcoves known as ‘oshiire’ (押入 / おしいれ), which are used for storing bedding during the day.

Likewise, within the ‘zashiki’ you’d find similar alcoves known as tokonoma (床の間/とこのま) and chigaidana (違棚 / ちがいだな), which are both spaces reserved for decorative elements of the living space. In these traditional homes, sleeping spaces were communal, and the living space was used by the family as a space to hang out, or entertain close friends.

The important thing to remember is that during the day all of the clutter would have been stored away, making these two spaces quite open and enjoyable. One of the things to take note of when you’re in the living space are the sliding wooden panels that can be closed to separate the two spaces. These panels are said to be originals and feature some beautiful calligraphy-style paintings on either side.

(7) Separated from the foyer and the waiting room by a sliding door, you’d find what was known as the tea room (茶之間 / ちゃのま), which essentially served as the dining room as it was connected directly to the kitchen. In smaller residences like these, the tea room also acted as a reading room (書齋 / しょさい) when the larger reception space wasn’t being used.

(8) One of the spaces that was extended over the years, the ‘ousetsushitsu’ (應接室 / おうせつしつ) could go by a number of names in English; Essentially it was a meeting room, or a space where residents could receive guests. Over the years, the various Police Chiefs likely received guests during their off-hours to discuss work-related issues. Separated from the private area of the living space, it was connected to the rest of the house by the ‘foyer’ and the ‘veranda’ making it easily accessible whenever anyone visited. This is one of the ‘fusion’ areas of the house though as it was also considered a ‘western style’ living room with sofas and later a television, etc. Located in the southern corner of the house, the room would have had a nice view of the river and the afternoon sun.

Service Space (服務空間)

Finally, the ‘service space’ is admittedly the most difficult space of the building to explain, as most of it is not open to the public. These space were restored along with the rest of the building, but are currently occupied as spaces by the administration of the building as storage space. Nevertheless, for clarity sake, the service space included the (9) lavatory (便所 / べんじょ), the (10) kitchen (台所 / だいどころ) and the (11) bathroom (風呂 / ふろ). Truth be told though, tourists aren’t probably all that interested in checking out a one-hundred year old bathroom, right?

Now that I’ve explained the interior, let’s take a few minutes to talk about the exterior of the building. Constructed in the irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造) style of design, which basically means that the base of the building is smaller than the roof, the weight of which is supported by a network of trusses (屋架) in the ceiling that helps to support the weight of the four-sided sloped hip roof (四坡頂). However, when you look at the roof from above today, it is clear that the shape of the original roof has been altered considerably. Likewise, the the original roof tiles were replaced with plastic-looking tiles and the onigawara (鬼瓦) end tiles have all been replaced. Also, the wooden shitamiita (下見版 / したみいた) siding on the buildings has been replaced. They are currently quite dark in color, but as they age the colors will fade.

Although the additions to the building over the past century have increased its size, they have also altered the original shape. The space in front of the veranda is quite narrow as it overlooks the hill, while the space on the ends of the building on the kitchen side as well as the meeting room side have reduced the size of the space in the yard. These additions however haven’t really been reflected well in the restoration of the building, which offers a pretty good view of what the building would have originally looked like, with the additions making up the administrative sections of the building.

Getting There

 

Address: #5, Alley #12, Zhongzheng Road, Danshui (新北市淡水區中正路12巷5號)

GPS: 25.170740, 121.439940

Located within the heart of Tamsui’s Historic Old Street (淡水老街), the former Police Chief’s dorm sits on prime real estate just to the rear of what would have been one of the most important places of worship in town. A short walk up a set of stairs to the rear of Fuyou Temple (淡水福佑宮), otherwise known as the Tamsui Mazu Temple (淡水媽祖廟), the former residence is within walking distance of both the Tamsui MRT Station (淡水捷運站) as well as the Tamsui Ferryboat Wharf (淡水渡船碼頭), making getting there rather easy.

Taking into consideration that the Tamsui Old Street is quite narrow, your best option for getting to any of the tourist destinations in the area is to simply walk. The stretch of Zhongzheng Road (中正路) where the temple is located is quite narrow, making it difficult for buses to get in and out, but makes it great for pedestrian traffic with wide sidewalks.

From the Tamsui MRT Station, the walk to Fuyou Temple is about 550 meters, an estimated six minute trip according to Google Maps. To get there simply walk out of the MRT station and walk straight until you find yourself on Zhongzheng Road. Once you find yourself on the Old Street, simply walk straight until you reach Fuyou Temple. On either side of the temple you’ll notice a set of stone stairs that leads you up behind the historic temple to the residence, in addition to a neighborhood that overlooks the harbor and is close to a number of other historic tourist destinations.

While you’re in the area, in addition to the historic old street and the riverfront, you may want to also consider visiting the Tamsui Longshan Temple (淡水龍山寺), Tamsui Qingshui Temple (淡水清水巖), the Tamsui Customs Officers’ Residence (小白宮), the Tamsui Presbyterian Church (長老教會淡水教會) and the Huwei MacKay Hospital (滬尾偕醫館), all of which are within walking distance of the old street. Similarly, you may also want to visit Fort San Domingo (淡水紅毛城), the Tamsui Martyrs Shrine (新北市忠烈祠) or the Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭), which are both a little further away.

Recently restored and reopened to the public, the Japanese-era Police Chief’s residence is probably one of the lesser known of Tamsui’s tourist attractions, but that also makes it one of the most relaxing places to visit. There isn’t a whole lot to see when you visit the house, but the building has a great view of the harbor and you may want to sit on the veranda to take a break from your travels prior to moving on to your next destination. If you find yourself visiting on a hot day, the respite from the sun should be a welcome-enough experience for a weary traveler, especially with the peace and quiet offered by the house.

References

  1. 淡水日本警官宿舍 (Wiki)

  2. 淡水郡 | 淡水街 | 台北州 | 淡水線 (Wiki)

  3. 淡水日本警官宿舍 (淡水維基館)

  4. 淡水日本警官宿舍 (國家文化資產網)

  5. 新北市歷史建築淡水日本警官宿舍修復或再利用計畫 (新北市政府文化局)

  6. 終於修復完工!淡水「日本警官宿舍」開放參觀,重現日治時期「和洋折衷式」建築風貌 (Shopping Design)

  7. 淡水重建街添一好拍景點 超美日本高階警官宿舍今開放 (新北市政府警察局板橋分局)

  8. 日本警官宿舍 見證日本警察統治的漢人社會 (國家文化記憶庫)

  9. 淡水老街又ㄧ重要歷史建築將獲保存 前縣議員林美美老宿舍可望指定為歷史建築 (許慧明 / 淡水文化基金會)


TokyoBike Taipei Cafe

If it weren’t obvious enough already, a large portion of the research and writing I do about Taiwan revolves around the island’s five decade-long Japanese Colonial era. Over the past few years, I’ve worked to combine my photography with my writing and research skills to help tell the stories of some of the nation’s historic buildings, which is admittedly a great time to be into this kind of thing with the number of buildings that have been restored in recent years.

Writing about Shinto Shrines, Martial Arts Halls, Civic Buildings, Train Stations, and the dormitories provided to the civil servants of the era, I’ve covered a wide range of topics, but one that I’m especially proud of was a long research project that delved deeply into the Taiwanese government’s attempt to restore these buildings, and then seek private enterprises to assist in their operation. Coming from a university background in International Development, it’s important for me to see that the government isn’t just throwing bags of taxpayers dollars at these historic buildings with no clear, or sustainable vision for the future - Because, let’s face it, the reach of the government can only go so far - and attracting a steady stream of visitors to these historic buildings is one of the best ways to ensure that they continue to be saved, rather than bulldozed.

If you haven’t had the chance to read it, I highly recommend taking a look at the (sorry, very long) article I wrote about how the Taiwanese government is officially enlisting the participation of private enterprises to assist with the operation of some of these buildings, especially since it will offer a lot more context to what I’m going to be introducing below.

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

Since completing the article above, I’ve naturally become interested in how those remaining buildings from that era are put to use - and with restoration projects taking place around the country at an astounding rate, the resurrection of these buildings has brought about a new level of awareness about the nation’s modern history. That history, which spans periods of Dutch, Spanish, Qing and Japanese-eras of colonial control, is something that was largely frowned upon in the nation’s classrooms during the Martial Law Period, but has within the last few decades become an important tool for helping the people of Taiwan become more aware of the history, where they come from, and more important has assisted in forming a Taiwanese identity.

For some people, a visit to these historic buildings can help them learn more about what it means to be Taiwanese. Some of the time though, people just want to sit in a coffee shop and relax - and thanks to places like Tokyo Bike Taipei, people can do just that while enjoying a bit of history at the same time!

Before I start, there are a few housekeeping notes that I’d like to remind readers about: The first is that I’m going to spend a bit of time introducing the historic building and what it was used for prior to it’s recent restoration and the coffee shop taking up residence within. The next thing I’d like everyone to keep in mind is that as always, I’m not getting paid for this post. I’ll briefly introduce the coffee shop, but I’m not going to be sharing photos of the menu or the coffee that I had while visiting - I’m not a food blogger and I’m writing this purely out of interest for the building - although I did enjoy my visit as I feel like the building is being put to pretty good use.

Shintomicho Market Dormitory (新富町食料品小賣市場員工宿舍)

Restored alongside the dormitory, the historic Shintomicho Market building was brought back to life as a cultural and tourist attraction in early 2017. An important part of the Bangkha neighborhood for at least nine decades, the building fell into disuse in the early 1990s and was abandoned for quite a while prior to the city recognizing it as a civic historic monument (市定古蹟).

Walking through the artistically-designed building today, you’d probably find it hard to believe that it was constructed to house a wet market - especially if you’ve had experienced walking through any of Taiwan’s other traditional markets. Constructed in 1935 (昭和10年), which was pretty much the height of the Showa era (昭和) in Taiwan, the building was designed as a fusion of eastern and western architectural styles, but also displayed the modern approach to construction that the era is best known for.

To better explain, Taiwan was taken over during the Meiji era (1868-1912), followed by the Taisho era (1912-1926), and then the Showa era (1926-1989). Each of these so-called ‘eras’ is named after the emperor who ruled over the Japanese empire at the time. When the Japanese first arrived in Taiwan in 1895 (明治28年), the construction and development that took place was rudimentary, and later refined during the Taisho era. Initially, the infrastructure required for major construction projects was constrained, but as time passed by and the island was developed, it became much easier to construct more complex buildings. No where is this more prevalent than in the history of the nation’s historic railway stations, some of which (despite being a century old) are second and third generation structures. So, as the island developed, construction techniques were refined, and the Showa era thus became one of the more artistic with regard to architectural design.

Compared to modern wet markets, which are naturally dark, dank and smelly, the authorities at the time constructed this beautiful building with natural ventilation and natural light, making it the kind of place where vendors would compete ferociously to get a spot.

The newly constructed market brought with it not only prosperity for the local vendors, but a more sanitary experience where people were able to purchase daily necessities in an era where modern supermarkets had yet to appear. Attracting both Taiwanese and Japanese customers, the market would have been a cultural melting pot with freshly grown produce and meat. Suffice to say, like most buildings that were constructed in the late stages of the colonial era, prosperity would have been somewhat fleeting as the outbreak of the Second World War brought with it air raids by the allied forces and the decline of the local economy.

In the post-war era, the influx of refugees fleeing the Chinese Civil War created new opportunity for the market. One of the issues however was in order to actually open up shop within the building, vendors were required to obtain a license, something that would have been rather difficult for the local Taiwanese members of society given the political climate of the Martial Law period. Thus, the market started to expand from the original building to a wet market (which continues to remain in operation today) as it was easier for vendors to set up unlicensed stalls nearby. As Taiwan continued to develop over the next few decades, wholesale markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets started appearing across the country making it difficult for traditional wet markets to compete with lower prices.

As mentioned earlier, the market building was more or less abandoned in the early 1990s, and was left on its own for quite a while prior to being recognized as a protected civic monument. Years of abandonment left the building in pretty terrible shape, but it has been beautifully restored, and even though I’m not particularly a big fan of the way it’s used today, it’s a pretty cool place to visit if you’re in the area, especially for anyone visiting Longshan Temple (龍山寺).

The purpose of this article however isn’t to introduce the market, something that I might go into more detail in the future, but instead the Japanese-style dormitory constructed to the rear, where the TokyoBike Taipei coffee shop is located today.

Unfortunately, very little information has been published about the former dormitory, so I’ll be presenting a few facts based on the little information I could find and mixing it with my personal experience within the building and comparing it to some of the other buildings I’ve introduced in the past in order to offer readers a better idea of what you’d see during a visit to the building today.

Constructed alongside the market, the historic dormitory dates back to 1935, and to the naked eye appears similar to almost all of the other Japanese-era dormitories that I’ve introduced in the past. There is however a major difference about the building’s design that makes is different. Constructed to house the administrator of the market (and his family), the building also provided office space for the daily operation of the market. So, even though it might appear similar to other Japanese-era homes from the outside, the interior has some slight design variations that make it stand apart.

Officially classified as a ‘Single-Family Dwelling’ (獨棟木造日式建築), the size of the building was determined by the standard set in 1922 by the Taiwan Colonial Government’s building standards policy (台灣總督府官舍建築標準). In what would have been considered a low-ranking position in terms of the hierarchy of Japanese-era civic officials, the amount of space allotted for the construction of the building would have been about 83㎡ (25坪). In this case though, given that an office space for the administration of the market would have been included in the architectural design of the house, it would have made the amount of space somewhat cramped for the family living there.

Link: 台灣日式建築:官舍 —— 台灣樣.建築百科

While the building combined both private and public functions, the spatial design of the interior allowed for a comfortable separation between these two spaces, offering privacy to the families who occupied the space over the years. That being said, as (what would have been considered) a low-ranking official, the entrances to the house were notably different in comparison to its contemporaries.

For the family, the main entrance would have passed through the kitchen, where you’d have to pass through to reach the private space. For guests, or business-related visitors, a separate entrance would have offered access from a door to the right of the main entrance, offering direct access to the office space. Today, that ‘office space’ continues to be used as an administrative space for the coffeeshop, so it’s not actually open to the public.

In this particular case, what made the ‘family-side’ entrance different from others was that it was connected directly to the kitchen, which in most cases would have been a rear door to a garden. Passing directly through the ground-level kitchen brings you to a set of stairs where you walk up to the elevated private section of the house. Today, the coffeeshop maintains a similar design in that the barista’s bar as well as the kitchen is located in this ground-level area with the guest seating area in within the private area.

Despite some of the differences in interior design, its important to note that the basic design rule for traditional Japanese homes remains the same in that the building consists of the following three functional spaces: a living space (起居空間), a service space (服務空間) and a passage space (通行空間). Within each of these ‘spaces’ there can be a number of rooms, depending on the size of the building, but this one is somewhat basic, so it’s easier to describe.

Starting with the service space, you’ll find the kitchen (台所 / だいどころ), bathroom (風呂 / ふろ) and washroom (便所 / べんじょ). Interestingly, the bathroom and the washroom were located on opposite ends of the long ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ) veranda between the living space and the office space.

Part of the ‘passage space’, the engawa is a large sliding-door veranda that could be opened up to allow some fresh air into the building as well as a space for the family to relax given that they didn’t have much of a front yard. The rest of the passage space in the building however is not as clearly defined as other Japanese-era residences, which only really consists of the space between the kitchen and the private living area and the kitchen and the office space.

Finally, the ‘living space’ may seem considerably different from what we’re used to by western standards but what the space essentially consists of is a two-room open space separated by something similar to a living room with the other being the bedroom. The first of these two spaces (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 reserved for placing some decorative elements in the living space. During the Japanese-era, you’d likely find calligraphy, floral arrangements or simple artistic elements. Today, you’ll find one of TokyoBike’s beautiful bicycles on display.

Link: Tokonoma (Wiki) 

The second section of the living space is the area reserved as the family’s sleeping space (居間 / いま). Essentially just an open space, save for the two alcoves against the walls, known as ‘oshiire’ (押入 / おしいれ). Within these two closet-like spaces, the family would store their bedding during the day, in addition to their clothing and other personal items. Today this narrow bedroom space is simply home to a couple of tables for the patrons of the coffeeshop.

TokyoBike Taipei

Originally located in the Minsheng East Community (民生社區), a block of social housing that was recently demolished by the city, Tokyo Bike Taiwan was forced to relocate after seven years of operation in it’s original location due to a long-planned urban renewal plan, which coincidentally also saw the demolition of the former Taiwan Railway Dormitories that I wrote about a few years back.

The dorm, which was initially occupied by Dadaocheng’s famed Hoshing 1947 pastry shop (合興壹玖肆柒) became available in late March of 2021 when the branch, which housed a traditional tea shop paired with the company’s pastries closed its doors after three years of operation. Even though the final Facebook post on Hoshing 88’s (合興八十八亭) page doesn’t offer a reason as to why the teashop went out of business, it’s safe to assume that a lack of business due to the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the deciding factors. Taiwan remained relatively safe for much of the pandemic, due to proactive policy decisions, but businesses around the country, much like the rest of the world, suffered immensely.

The opportunity to migrate from one historic area of the capital to an even more historic building was probably almost too good to be true for the owners of Tokyo Bike Taiwan, but as I described in my article about these Public-Private Partnerships, there is an official application process that has to be undertaken, and a fair advertising period has to be ensured so that the process is undertaken fairly and transparently.

Prospective renters have to come up with a business plan and undergo a long contract process prior to any agreements being signed. While the pandemic might have dealt the final blow to the building’s previous tenants, it could also have proved to be an opportunity for TokyoBike as competition was not likely to have been as fierce for the operational rights of the building. The application was obviously approved, and on December 21st, 2021, TokyoBike Taiwan officially reopened in the Shintomicho Market.

Note: I’m just making some assumptions here. I haven’t actually confirmed any of that.

Suffice to say, that is an oversimplification of the events that led up to the move to Wanhua.

This leads me to an important point - TokyoBike Taiwan is primarily a bike-selling and rental company that also provides general maintenance for the hip Japanese bicycles. You won’t see any of the bike sales taking place within the coffeeshop though, which begs the question: Where are all the bikes?

The bike showroom and the coffeeshop are separated, with the latter located within the beautifully restored Shintomicho Market building, known today as the “Taipei U-Mkt”, which offers a beautiful showroom on the second floor of the building as part of the rental agreement with the city.

The TokyoBike café features a menu of reasonably priced coffees, single-origin drip coffees, tea, sandwiches, hamburgers and appetizers that can be enjoyed within the cafe or for take out. Seating within the café is limited with only about four tables, a sofa, and bar-style seating next to the windows.

While I did enjoy my coffee when I visited the café, I have to say that I really appreciated the minimalist style design, which falls in line with the branding of ‘TokyoBike’, that officially follows a philosophy coined as “TokyoSlow,” combining ‘simplicity’, with ‘local art’ and ‘culture’.

Something that Taiwan’s hipster scene I’m sure really appreciates.

If any of this interests you and you find yourself in the area, then I recommend you stop by to check out the historic building and try some of the coffee or food they have available.

It's also a pretty good opportunity to let you know that if you visit the market or the coffeeshop that a good friend of mine just opened the Wanderland Bar within the Shintomicho Market where you can enjoy some cocktails and craft beer. As I’m posting this, I haven’t had the chance yet to visit, but I look forward to going soon, and I’ll make sure to stop by for a coffee as well!

Link: Wanderland Bar 萬華世界下午酒場 (Facebook)

Getting There

 

Address: #70, Sanshui Street, Wanhua District, Taipei (台北市萬華區三水街70號1樓)

GPS: 25.034700, 121.504860

If you plan on visiting this quaint little coffee shop, the best way to get there is to just hop on the Taipei MRT. I could spend a bunch of time telling you how to get there with a car, scooter, or Youbike, but in each of these cases, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense to take either of these methods of transportation.

The reason for this is actually quite simple - parking in Wanhua, especially near Longshan Temple is a notorious pain in the ass. There are, of course, some parking lots and roadside parking spaces nearby, but it’s likely that you’ll find yourself circling for quite a while before you find a spot. Similarly, the closest Youbike docking station is near the entrance to the temple, but the coffeeshop is at least a five-to-ten minute walk from there, depending on the amount of foot traffic in the area.

If you choose to make use of the fastest and most convenient method of travel, simply hop on the Taipei MRT’s Blue Line (板南線) and make your way to Longshan Temple Station (龍山寺捷運站). From there you’ll want to head in the direction of Exit 3 (3號出口) where you’ll find a small alley on the left. From the exit you just walk to the end of the alley and you’ll find the coffeeshop hidden in a corner by the old Xinfu Market (新富市場) and the Shintomicho Cultural Market (新富町文化市場). If you take the MRT, the walk to the coffeeshop should take less than a minute, and you won’t have to pay for or search for parking!

Website: TokyoBike Taiwan | Facebook

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday (08:30 - 6:00)

While in the Bangkha (艋舺) area, there are a number of things that you can do to pass your time. In addition to the coffeeshop you’ll find what’s known as the Bangka Big Three Temples (艋舺三大廟門) -  Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺), Qingshan Temple (艋舺青山宮) and Qingshui Temple (艋舺清水巖) in addition to Bopiliao Historic Block (剝皮寮歷史街區) and several night markets.

As far as I can tell, since the opening of the coffeeshop within the historic dorm, it has become quite a popular spot for local Instagrammers and coffee lovers. Truth be told, I visited the during the week and was fortunately able to avoid the crowds, but a friend visited a few days later and commented that there weren’t any seats available and there were a bunch of people outside taking photos. If you’re planning a weekend visit, it’s probably important that you keep this in mind as the seating within the old dorm is quite limited.

The popularity of the coffeeshop is something that can hopefully last for quite a while, and I hope that its success is one that others might consider when applying to form a partnership with the government in one of these historic buildings. Putting these places to good use is one of the best methods of ensuring that they continue to be saved, allowing people to continue enjoying them for years to come!

References

  1. 台北最美單車咖啡廳「tokyobike」!落腳萬華新富町,獨棟木造日式古蹟建築 (Shopping Design)

  2. Taipei's U-Mkt: A traditional Market Reborn (Taiwan Panorama)

  3. 新富町文化市場 (Travel Taipei)

  4. 新富町文化市場──古老市集的新生 (中央社)

  5. 新富市場 (國家文化資產網)


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)