The Plum Garden, a historical building in Taipei City’s Beitou District (北投) that used to serve as a summer house for former Control Yuan president and calligraphy master Yu You-ren (于右任), opened to the public last week, adding a new tourist attraction to the area.
The garden was built in the late 1930s and was Yu’s summer getaway between 1949 and 1964. The characters Mei Ting (梅庭, plum garden), reprinted on a plaque at the entrance, were written by Yu.
The Taipei City Government listed the house as a historical building in 2006 and spent more than NT$18 million (US$560,000) in renovations to turn the garden, located in the Beitou Park, into a tourist attraction.
The 335m² wooden house preserves Japanese-style architecture from the colonial period.
The building, where Yu’s calligraphy works are preserved, is a cultural asset for the city.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said the city government expected the house would become a gathering place for local residents and artists.
He said he hoped it would help promote local tourism and add a cultural spirit to the area.
To promote tourism in the area, the city government set up a visitor information center in the building with sightseeing information for tourists visiting the Beitou District, hoping to attract more tourists with many nearby attractions including the Beitou Library and Betou Hot Spring Museum.
The Plum Garden is open to the public between 9am and 5am from Tuesday to Sunday.
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