Taipei Guest House

Taipei Guest House (zh-t|t=臺北賓館) is the historical building located at Ketagalan Boulevard No.1, Zhongzheng District and also lies in the BoAi Special District. It’s owned by the government of Taiwan and used for receiving state guests or celebration activities.

Taipei Guest House, designed by Japanese architects Dougo Hukuda and Ichiro Nomura, was built from 1899 to 1901 and rebuilt by Matsunosuke Moriyama. Taipei Guest House is the representative work of Taiwanese buildings under Japanese rule, also called the most graceful baroque residence house. The main architecture of the building is concave shaped, having a roof in Mansard style and high Roman pillars, mainly in a style of France Second Empire palace buildings. Inside the building there is a resplendent suspension light decorated with crystal, baroque gold leaves and flowers and gold foil; outside the building there’s a modern Japanese curtilage garden. In 1988, Taipei Guest House was designated by the government of Taiwan and administrated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan.

Taipei Guest House originally was the House of Governor-General of Taiwan during the Japanese rule, at a distance of around 100 meters from the Office of Governor-General of Taiwan (is now the Presidential Building). Imperial members and heads of politics often visited here. Emperor Showa (Crown Prince Hirohito) also stayed here when visiting Taiwan. After Japan was defeated, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yeh Kung Chao and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Isao Kawada signed the Treaty of Taipei here in 1953.

Taipei Guest House is open to the public for first Sunday in even months from June 4, 2006.