Yen Chia-Kan's Residence, Historic residence in Zhongzheng District, Taiwan
Yen Chia-Kan's Residence is a two-story Western-style house with a distinctive tower-like structure on the roof, covering more than 660 square meters of built space. The building contains reception rooms, dining areas, studies, and bedrooms distributed across both floors.
The house was built in 1910 as a residence for the Bank of Taiwan's vice president during Japanese colonial rule. It later became the home of Taiwan's fifth president.
The residence blends Western cement construction with East Asian roof design and incorporates Japanese stone lanterns alongside native Taiwanese plantings. This mixing of styles reflects the cultural influences that shaped the space during its early years.
The building sits along Chongqing South Road and is easy to locate in the district's main area. Visitors should take time to explore the garden and courtyard spaces, which offer a calm contrast to the busy surrounding streets.
The garden preserves original trees from the Japanese colonial period, including ring-cupped oak, crape myrtle, banyan, and three large green maples. These long-standing specimens demonstrate how the private grounds have evolved over more than a century.
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