芬園庄役場

February 9th, 2017

Fenyuan Village Office (芬園庄役場) is interesting example of Japanese colonial era architecture in Taiwan. Built in 1935, this modest building was the administrative center of the village (shō) of Fenyuan, located on the eastern edge of Changhua back when it was part of Taichū Prefecture (臺中州). It survived the war and remained in use until 1994 when a newer government office was built down the street. Art Deco flourishes and the rust-colored emblem over the entrance give Fenyuan’s old township office a distinctive look. In the mid-2010s it was derelict, and used only for storage, but it was restored in the early 2020s.

Fenyuan’s disused village office from Japanese times.

The logo over the entrance is based on the first character in Fenyuan’s name.

The angular glyph above the entrance is an intriguing example of a city emblem (市徽) based on a Chinese character (“芬”, the first in the district’s name, in this case). The Japanese authorities commissioned logos for numerous administrative divisions around Taiwan (see several examples here), many of which are still in use, albeit with extensive modifications in some cases¹. This practice continues in Japan to this day—check out these great examples of town logos based on kanji for a sampling. Modern Fenyuan does not appear to be using this inherited logo for anything.

An oblique look at the front of Fenyuan Town Hall in early 2017.

A closer look at the simple awning and the notched design of the columns next to the entrance.

Both the old Japanese name and the newer Chinese one both have five characters. A lucky break or was this literally by design?

Beneath the awning is a nameplate that has seen some modification over the years. Originally this would have displayed the Japanese name, Hun’en-shō Yakuba (芬園庄役場), literally “Fenyuan Village Office”, but this was later changed to a Mandarin Chinese version (芬園鄉公所) with approximately the same meaning. Taking a peek inside the building through the metal shutters one will see slogans typical of the martial law era as well as an enormous collection of decommissioned sodium vapor street lights. Nobody could think of a better use for this historic office?

Presently the old office is used to store decommissioned sodium vapor street lights. Hopefully the government will find a better uses for this historic structure in the future.

Fenyuan Village Office was recently designated a municipal monument after a protracted legal battle with several of the landowners. My understanding is that some of the owners were sympathetic to the idea of restoring and repurposing the old office while others were keen to demolish it and find a more profitable use for such prime real estate. In this case the forces of preservation were victorious—but not before part of the wooden addition at the back of the building collapsed due to exposure to the elements. A sheet metal shelter now encloses the damaged section of the village office while local government deliberates what to do with it.

The rooftop is cornered with decorative end tiles displaying a peach motif, possibly symbolizing longevity.

The decorative end tiles at each corner of the rooftop deserve a little attention. Such end tiles are a common feature of East Asian design and typically serve practical (i.e. leak prevention), auspicious, and aesthetic functions. Puzzling out exactly what term to use for these architectural features was not at all obvious. Several sources I consulted refer to what the Japanese call onigawara (鬼瓦, literally “ogre” or “demon” tile), but this term is specific to end tiles decorated with monstrous patterns designed to ward off evil². A less ostentatious term might be hanakawara (花瓦), literally “floral tile”, which feels more appropriate given that this office is decorated with a peach motif, but this does not appear to be in common use in Taiwan. Perhaps the most accurate term for these decorative features is wǎzhèn (瓦鎮, literally “tile guard”), or something along those lines. In some sense these end tiles can be seen as a fusion between the “horseback” gables of Qing Taiwan, traditional Japanese architecture, and the new building materials and modernist influences prevalent at the time the village office was built.

The wooden add-on fills in the original L-shaped plan but hasn’t weathered the years nearly as well as the rest of the structure. Most of it collapsed and is now shielded from the elements by metal sheeting.

Around the side of Fenyuan Town Hall. I thought there might be a way inside but everything was securely locked.

A glimpse of the back of Fenyuan Town Hall through the metal sheeting. Notice that the paint doesn’t match that of the front? Perhaps this is the original colour!

Finally, one may glimpse a round window and an older paint scheme through the metal sheeting around back. Although the vibrant green shade is part of the village office’s charm it doesn’t exactly radiate Japanese colonial influence. A more sublime shade was chosen for the restoration effort, which seems to have wrapped up in 2021.

Chinese language Wikipedia has an extensive list of city emblems if you’re interested in following up with this. ↩
The fact that English language Wikipedia has an entry for onigawara and no similar type of roofing tile suggests that the Western obsession with “weird Japan” is at work. ↩