A traditional courtyard house more than a century old was formally opened to the public on Sunday after being renovated by the Greater Taichung Government for years.
The 6,600m2 compound, named “Star Villa” (摘星山莊) and located in Tanzih District (潭子), was commissioned in 1879 by Qing Dynasty general Lin Chi-chung (林其中).
It later became known as “the best of Taiwanese residential houses” because of the dazzling carvings, calligraphy and paintings around the premises and it was designated as a historical site by the city at the end of the 20th century.
Photo: CNA
According to the city’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, Star Villa was almost torn down in 1997 after the right side of the compound was badly damaged.
As result of the efforts of cultural and historical preservation staff in the former Taichung county government (now Greater Taichung), the villa was preserved and designated as a historical monument in December 1997. The actual renovation of the grounds began in 2007 after the county bought the compound’s land and structures, obtained funding for the project and found contractors to do the work.
The renovation of the main structures was completed in 2010 and the compound’s outer wall and parking lot were finished in 2012.
Since then, the villa has been open to visitors every Sunday on a trial basis, and the city finally decided recently to open the grounds to the public six days a week.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said he wanted to renovate the historical compound so that the public could have access to the cultural treasure.
In the future, he said, private companies will be invited to manage the site under the “operate, transfer” model to boost tourism.
Star Villa was given its name by Lin after he thought of the stars he gazed at during battles away from home, Hu said.
Chang You-chuang, a Taichung official involved in managing the city’s cultural assets, praised the villa’s historical architecture and said it serves as a valuable research resource.
The wood used in its construction was all imported from China, he said.
Because the architects and workers invited to build the compound in the 19th century were among the best in their fields, the villa abounds with superb wood, brick and stone carvings and bas-reliefs and sophisticated koji ceramic pieces, Chang said.
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