Wistaria Tea House

Completed in the early 1920s as one of many official residences built on this block, this Japanese-style wooden house was later occupied by the economist Zhou Dewei (周德偉). In the 1950s it became a meeting place for liberal academics, many of whom questioned the central planning of the KMT government. Zhou Dewei emigrated to the US in 1975, leaving the house to his son Zhou Yu (周渝), who soon opened a rehearsal space for experimental theater, and then a tea house. After a long battle with the Customs Bureau, nominal owners of the underlying land, it was declared a historic property. Nowadays it continues to operate as a unique, artsy, and upscale tea house while preserving much of its vintage charm. Closed for renovations in 2025.