Completed in 1900, this is a rare example of an early Japanese colonial era residence restored and open to the public. After 1920 it was known as the Tainan Prefecture Governor’s Residence (臺南州知事官邸). It was famously visited by Crown Prince Hirohito on his 1923 tour of Taiwan. In the post-war era it was repurposed for use by a dizzying variety of government agencies and in 1998 it was recognized for its obvious heritage value. Over the 2000s it was gradually restored and through third party contracts the building was opened to the public in various guises, sometimes closing after a contract ended. As of 2025 it now operates as Magistrate Residence Living Centre (臺南知事官邸), a combined gallery and exhibition space, restaurant, and gift shop. There is also a Japanese style residence immediately to the southeast that was originally a part of the complex, though it was not included in the heritage designation.
Heritage Status
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese(中文維基百科)
- Cultural Assets Bureau(文化部文化資產局)
Themes
- Japanese Colonial Era Taiwan (台灣日治時代)
- Minyang Fusion Architecture (閩洋折衷式樣建築)
Map
Nearby Locations
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Author
I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.