After four years of renovation, the 105-year-old Taipei Guest House is scheduled to open to the public once every two months beginning on June 4.
Speaking at the completion ceremony for the NT$400 million (US$12.5 million) restoration project, President Chen Shui-bian (
"In the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will open the Taipei Guest House every two months to coincide with the Presidential Office open-house," he said.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
"As the work on interior displays, tour routes and training of tour guides is underway, I believe the public will soon be able to visit this beautiful venue," Chen said.
Those interested in visiting the complex must file their registration online. Visitors will be allowed to tour around the first floor of the building and the front garden where there is a fountain. The second floor and the back garden will not be open.
In a bid to protect the historic relic, the number of visitors will be limited to 800 people per hour. The maximum number of group visitors is set at 100 per application.
Whether the facility should be open to the public was the focus of attention when two of the Presidential Office's former youth corps members used their privilege to have their wedding pictures taken inside the complex.
Lee Fang-cheng (李芳成), director of the Department of General Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the facility will not be used by private individuals for wedding photographs.
The ministry, however, may consider granting such opportunities to charity groups or for group weddings of special significance, Lee said.
The building, which was built in the Renaissance style, was completed in 1901 during the tenure of Japanese governor-general Kodama Gentaro. Its main functions then were to serve as the residence of the Japanese governor-general to Taiwan and as a venue for receptions for important guests.
The building underwent a large-scale renovation in 1913 which incorporated Baroque-style architecture and laid the foundation for what the public sees today.
The Taipei Guest House was just one example of the fine European-style architecture built in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era.
Other buildings constructed during the period include Taiwan Medical College, the Red Theater, the National Taiwan Museum, the Control Yuan and the Taiwan Railway Administration.
After World War II, the Japanese governor-general's residence was renamed the Taipei Guest House and managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Its major functions were to host state banquets and receive foreign dignitaries.
In 1997, the Taipei Guest House served as the venue for high-level talks on constitutional reform initiated by former president Lee Teng-hui (
The building was designated as a national historic heritage site in 1998.
When Chen was Taipei City mayor, he launched a campaign to rebuild the image of the capital, including restoring historic heritage sites to their original appearance.
Since his election as president in 2000, many significant events have been held at the Taipei Guest House, including celebrations for the presidential inauguration in 2000, the preparatory meeting of the Economic Development Council, cross-party advisory meetings on cross-strait issues, and group wedding ceremonies on International Human Rights Day.
Chen has received several foreign dignitaries there, including former US president Bill Clinton, former South Korean president Kim Yuan San, former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (
Due to serious damage caused by water leakages and termites, the facility was closed in September 2001 with the two-phase restoration project beginning the following year.
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