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Walking Through Time: Restored Japanese-era Landmarks in Taipei

2026-09-13 08:21 聯合新聞網／ TAIPEI

©Ministry of Culture

TEXT　Jenna Lynn Cody

PHOTOS　VISION

Autumn is the perfect time to discover the architectural treasures of Taipei's past through historic Japanese-era structures that have been beautifully reimagined. From tranquil wooden dormitory residences to an imposing police station and a unique Tudor-style villa, visitors and residents alike can enjoy beautifully restored heritage sites that seamlessly bridge Taiwan's Japanese history with modern-day art, dining, and culture.

If you want to explore historic architecture while learning more about Taiwan's literary heritage, two great places to start are the Taiwan Literature Hub and the Taiwan Literature Base. Both are housed in beautifully restored historic buildings and operate as branches of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL).

The Taiwan Literature Hub is located just west of Huashan 1914 Creative Park. Its building is a converted brick grain warehouse dating from the 1950s, originally used by the Taiwan Provincial Food Agency to distribute rice and other essential goods. Designated a historic site in 2016, the property was taken over by the NMTL, which completed a major restoration project in 2025.

The restoration preserved the original timber framing and roof tiles as visible reminders of the building's history. The previously sealed western wall was opened to bring in natural light and reconnect the building with the surrounding streetscape, while a discreet glass elevator was added. On the east side, the original concrete wall remains, complemented by new metal panels and a more welcoming entrance framed by greenery.

Today, the building is divided into several zones: the Literary Showcase for exhibitions, the Literary Sandbox and CrossLit Studio for experimental projects or workshops, and the Literary Proposal Lab as a space to explore new forms of literary adaptation.

▲Exhibition inside the Taiwan Literature Hub

A short walk south of Huashan 1914 Creative Park, between Lane 53 on Qidong Street and Jinan Road, the Taiwan Literature Base comprises seven restored Japanese-era dormitories – the city's largest surviving cluster of its kind. Stone paths wind through a peaceful central courtyard to the buildings, where visitors can relax in comfortable spaces devoted to Taiwanese literature or explore exhibits that blend original architectural features with Taiwan's literary history. (Read about the complex in a previous TAIPEI article: bit.ly/zhongxiao-xinsheng)

▲Taiwan Literature Base

Taiwan Literature Hub 台灣文學糧倉

🚩26, Hangzhou N. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist.

📞(02) 2322-5616

Taiwan Literature Base 台灣文學基地

🚩27, Sec. 2, Jinan Rd., Zhongzheng Dist.

📞(02) 2327-9657

🔗tp.nmtl.gov.tw

🔗facebook.com/TaiwanLiteratureBaseHub

🕝Tue-Sun 10:00am-6:00pm

Close to the tourist-popular Yongkang Street area, curious explorers can discover another group of renovated houses that once served as dormitories for Japanese officials.

Those visitors who venture beyond the bustling Yongkang Street enclave are rewarded with a network of quiet lanes cherished by Taipei locals for their nostalgic charm, where decades-old banyan trees drape over moss-covered walls, concealing beautifully restored wooden homes. Designed to maximize natural light and airflow, these houses offered a welcome respite from Taiwan's subtropical heat and humidity.

Just off Lishui Street, 0km is a cluster of Japanese-style buildings that once housed officials from the forestry department of the Japanese government, then known as the Sanrinka. Struck by Taiwan's vast mountain forests yet challenged by their seemingly impenetrable terrain, the Sanrinka set out to accomplish what the Qing Dynasty government had never attempted: to systematically survey and map the island's forests, managing them as both a sustainable resource and a valuable asset for the Japanese empire.

After the Japanese left Taiwan in 1945, the buildings served as housing for officials from the National Forestry Bureau before eventually being abandoned and falling into disrepair. A 15-year preservation effort led by the Forestry Bureau (now the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency) and the Taipei City Government ultimately restored the complex, with its redesign spearheaded by the private-sector CMP Group. The name "0km" reflects a surveying term: the "0 kilometer" point is the fixed starting point from which mountain trails, railway lines, and forest boundaries are measured. Here, the restored complex was envisioned as a symbolic trailhead, inviting Taipei residents to begin their own journey into the history of Taiwan's forest surveying.

▲Japanese-style wooden structure

0km occupies two rows of restored dormitories on either side of a quiet lane linking Lishui Street and Jinshan South Road. On the south side are three buildings, two of which serve as exhibition spaces dedicated to Taiwan's forests and mountains, while the third is home to a branch of a renowned vegetarian restaurant. Across the lane, the three buildings on the north side contain a café, a select shop, and an artisanal eyewear store.

▲Select shop inside 0km

Even if you don't plan to browse the shops or stop for a bite, the complex is well worth exploring. Wander the peaceful grounds, admire the beautifully restored architecture, and take in the rich greenery of the Multi-layered Woodland and the Second-growth Garden.

▲Exploring the Second-growth Garden inside the 0km complex

0km山物所

🚩21, Ln. 203, Sec. 2, Jinshan S. Rd., Daan Dist.

📞(02) 7755-7526

🔗www.0km.com.tw

🕝11:00am-7:00pm

Besides dormitories, the Japanese also left behind a number of more imposing structures. While some are linked to a difficult chapter of Taiwan's history, many have since been thoughtfully repurposed as cultural heritage sites.

A 10-minute walk northwest of MRT Shuanglian Station, the former Taipei North Police Station – now home to the Taiwan New Cultural Movement Memorial Museum – stands out for its imposing scale and historical presence. Inside, visitors are welcomed by a striking original grand staircase lined with pale, dusty-blue tiles, while a glass viewing panel in the floor below offers a glimpse of the building's original foundations.

©Department of Cultural Affairs

Built by the Japanese government in 1933, the structure originally served as both a police headquarters and a detention center. Over the decades, alterations obscured much of its original character, until a meticulous restoration project launched in 2014 peeled away later additions, revealing the building's dignified pre-war appearance once again.

©Department of Cultural Affairs

The decision to transform this former symbol of colonial authority into a museum celebrating Taiwanese self-determination was a deliberate one. In Japanese-era Taiwan, the New Cultural Movement sought to promote local culture and self-determination through literature, the arts, and journalism. And Chiang Wei-shui, a renowned advocate of the movement, was once imprisoned at this very site.

The museum's design also preserves traces of its darker past: on the first floor, visitors can look into the distinctive fan-shaped detention wing and jail cells, a sobering reminder of the dissidents once confined within these walls. Beyond these physical remnants, comprehensive, mostly bilingual exhibits chronicle the achievements and struggles of Taiwan's early democracy advocates during the New Cultural Movement.

Taiwan New Cultural Movement Memorial Museum 台灣新文化運動紀念館

🚩87, Ningxia Rd., Datong Dist.

📞(02) 2557-0087

🔗tncmmm.gov.taipei

🕝Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:30pm

Many of Taipei's historic buildings are Western-influenced. Found along the city's riverfront districts are mansions and commercial buildings built by wealthy local merchants during the late Qing period and early Japanese era.

At the northern edge of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum grounds, a grand Tudor Revival mansion has captured the imagination of Taipei residents for decades. Now operated by lifestyle and dining brand ACME, the mansion serves as a contemporary art exhibition and event space, as well as a café.

Built between 1913 and 1914 by tea merchant Chen Chao-chun, the mansion was originally known as Yuanshan Mansion. Chen envisioned it as a country villa for entertaining guests, including local and international businesspeople, diplomats, and intellectuals. After Chen's death, the building was used as a dormitory for the Japanese military before being abandoned for several years after World War II. It later became a private residence until the 1970s. Designated as a historic site in the 1980s, it was subsequently managed by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum under the name Taipei Story House. In 2021, management was taken over by ACME, and the villa was renamed Maison ACME.

The rooms now host rotating exhibitions of modern art, photography, and design, reflecting Taipei's vibrant creative scene. The building retains many of its original features, including its distinctive Tudor-style exterior. The ground floor is defined by red-brick walls and a grand entrance framed by classical Ionic columns, while the second floor is constructed in wood, showcasing the signature English Tudor timber framing. Inside, visitors can still admire the two original fireplaces, each decorated with colorful Art Nouveau Majolica tiles featuring floral motifs.

In addition to its indoor seating, Café ACME also offers outdoor seating. On a pleasant day, it's the perfect spot to admire the Tudor façade while sipping coffee or enjoying its excellent cuisine.

Maison ACME 圓山別邸

🚩181-1, Sec. 3, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist.

📞(02) 6617-7979

🔗acmetaipei.com/pages/maison-acme_

🕝Tue-Sun 11:00am-5:00pm

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