Changhua Yang Quan Mansion

During the Japanese colonial era the liquor trade in Taiwan—along with tobacco, camphor, and several other goods—was tightly controlled by the Monopoly Bureau. Alcohol was sold exclusively through a network of authorized distributors, many of whom were well-connected local Taiwanese who became quite wealthy, as this crumbling yet majestic ruin in the back alleys of Changhua City might suggest. Located along a small laneway just off Mínshēng Road (民生路), this two-story red brick and reinforced concrete mansion is the former residence of Yang Quan (楊全), who controlled local liquor sales from 1926 to 1933.

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:24 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 9Shutter Speed1/320 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO320Exposure Value14.7 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:24 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 9Shutter Speed1/320 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO320Exposure Value14.7 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedJanuary 31st, 2015 at 09:06 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 6.3Shutter Speed1/160 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO400Exposure Value12.6 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

A stylized emblem representing the family name appears on the gable of the building, and a poetic inscription reading Yángliǔfēng (楊柳風) appears over the main entrance. It translates to something along the lines of “wind in the willows”, while also incorporating the Yang family name. The mansion was also a point of sale for liquor back in the day, and so it was also known as the Shōchū Quan Residence (燒酒全故宅)¹.

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:39 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 4Shutter Speed1/60 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO1000Exposure Value9.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Beyond the façade the conditions of the interior are completely decrepit. It is possible to climb to the second floor along a rickety old staircase but there’s nothing to see up there—the roof has caved in. Rotting wood lays strewn about and mosquitos pour out of every nook and crevice lusting after human blood. This place has the appearance of a home that has been abandoned for decades.

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:32 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 6.3Shutter Speed1/160 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO1000Exposure Value12.6 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:32 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 4Shutter Speed1/60 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO1000Exposure Value9.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Only about half of the interior was open to exploration when I first visited in 2015. Most of the west side of the building had collapsed inward, covering whatever artifacts may have remained in a pile of wooden debris and rubble. Brambles, vines, and stunted trees grow out of this abscess: new life in the ruins of old.

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:37 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length52.0 mmISO1000Exposure Value11.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

I’ve been learning to read between the lines when exploring colonial era residences in Taiwan, many of which were abandoned early into the many years of KMT authoritarian rule. You have to stop and wonder: how would you figure KMT officials might treat locals who prospered under the Japanese? As with Jùkuíjū (聚奎居), another colonial era residence in central Taiwan, the owners of this mansion may have suffered hard times under the new regime².

Date CapturedFebruary 16th, 2015 at 06:26 UTCCameraNIKON D5200LensAF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G EDApertureƒ / 11Shutter Speed1/500 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO320Exposure Value15.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedJuly 24th, 2016 at 11:52 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO400Exposure Value11.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

When I first published this piece not long after my first visit in 2015 there was almost nothing written about it online³. This has changed in subsequent years as the owners attempted to demolish the mansion in 2016—leading to public outcry and the intervention of the Ministry of Culture, who designated this a heritage property worthy of preservation in 2018. Since then much of the debris has been cleared away, leaving the hollow shell of the exterior walls, awaiting further restoration work.

Footnotes

1. Shōchū, for the uninitiated, is a Japanese distilled beverage. ↩

2. The bloody 228 Incident was a direct result of the enforcement of the monopoly system (which was not fully abolished until 2002). Incidentally, Taiwan Beer (台灣啤酒) is still manufactured by the corporate successor to the state-run monopoly. ↩

3. In the original version of this post I lamented the fact that I could only find a single source for this entry—and it was hosted on Xuite, a group blogging service that went offline around 2022. I’ve included the link in this footnote on the off chance it can still be found via the Wayback Machine. ↩