Taipei｜From Sanbanqiao Street in the Qing Dynasty to Japanese-style dormitory complex, officers' dormitories became a base for Taiwanese literature

Qidong Street was Sanbanqiao Street leading to Songshan and Keelung during the Qing Dynasty. It was a major artery for transporting grain, coal and other supplies. During the Japanese occupation, the Governor-General's Office carried out urban planning in Taipei and built a complex of Japanese-style dormitories for civil servants. After the war, the Kuomintang came to Taiwan and continued to use it as a dormitory for officials. The most famous of them was Wang Shuming, the then Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, who lived at No. 27, Section 2, Jinan Road. He later became Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Staff. This Japanese-style residence, which marked his successful career, was also known as the General's House. Most of the residences in Taipei City built during the Japanese occupation period were ruthlessly cleared out in the tide of urban construction. Fortunately, local residents and cultural and historical workers formed a cultural and historical studio in 2002 to promote the protection of old trees and buildings. After years of hard work, 9 adjacent Japanese-style buildings were preserved, becoming a special existence among the surrounding luxury houses. After renovation, the Taiwan Literature Base was born in 2021. There are picture books and children's picture book parent-child reading corners about the history of protecting big trees, as well as exhibitions on the silence and resistance of contemporary gender events, multi-language versions of "The Garden of Evening News", and audio books are played at the same time. There is also a studio for resident writers, which accepts applications from writers every year. After review, they can live here for a year and concentrate on their writing. Friends who love Japanese architecture should not miss it. It also displays the layout of a Japanese-style accommodation from the entrance to the bedside and the edge, as well as the designer's renovation priorities at the time. 📍Address: No. 27, Section 2, Jinan Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100 🚗Ten minutes walk from Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT Station #MarchGoodPlaces2025