Completed in 1925 to a design by Ushiki Takeo (宇敷赳夫), with funds raised to commemorate the 1923 visit of Crown Prince Hirohito, this Japanese colonial era library in Hsinchu continued to operate in the post-war era until the county government auctioned it off to Shin Kong Life Insurance in 1984. The city blocked plans to replace it with a commercial tower and designated it a monument in 1998, setting off a legal dispute that left the building idle for two decades. After the city and the owners came to terms the library was restored and opened to the public in 2020, now with a branch of Starbucks inside.
Map
Details
- Status:Public (公有)
- Heritage designation:City Monument (縣(市)定古蹟)
- Coordinates:
Recorded On
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
- Cultural Assets Bureau (文化部文化資產局)
Themes
- Japanese Colonial Era Taiwan (台灣日治時代)
Backlinks
- Hsinchu Beiguoyuan (新竹北郭園)
Nearby Locations
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Author
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I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.