Zhongshan Hall - History

History

As a tribute to mark the ascension of the Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1928, the Japanese government in Taiwan dismantled the Qing Dynasty government office in Taipei and began the plan to erect the former Taipei City Hall.

Taipei City Hall construction began on November 23, 1932 and completed on November 26, 1936. Ide Kaoru, the main architect serving as Chief Engineer in Taiwan under the Japanese Government, used the full cost of 980,000 Yen and 94,500 workers.

The four-story steel structure of the building was designed to be fire-resistant and to withstand severe earthquakes and typhoons. The original building was faced in light green tile to make it less visible to aerial bombers. The windows are adorned with classical designs in a Spanish Islamic style. With 44,179 square feet (4,104.4 m2) for the ground floor, the total area of the Taipei City Hall was 113,750 square feet (10,568 m2), making it the fourth largest City hall in Japan at that time. It was smaller than only the City Halls of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.

After Taiwan's Retrocession to the Republic of China in 1945 after World War II, the Chief of Taiwan Provincial Administrative Office, Chen Yi represented the Allies and accepted a formal surrender from the Japanese. The surrendering Japanese commander was Ando Rikichi, Japanese Governor of Taiwan. The former Taipei City Hall was renamed Zhongshan Hall in honor of Sun Yatsen and functioned as an official meeting place under the Chinese government.

Zhongshan Hall has always been one of the formal reception areas for welcoming foreign guests and diplomats. Former guests have included US President Richard Nixon, former Korean President Syngman Rhee, former President of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem, former Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, former Iranian Shan Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and others. Zhongshan Hall has also hosted memorial ceremonies such as the signing of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty and three formal inauguration ceremonies of the second, third, and fourth presidency and vice-presidency of the Republic of China.