An old wooden house in back alley Tainan constructed around 1920 on land that was formerly the Qing dynasty Chongwen Academy (崇文書院). It was initially the residence of Sumiyoshi Hidematsu, a Japanese businessman in the construction trade who also made contributions to Taiwan’s nascent firefighting services. After the war the house was allocated to ROC general Xue Yue (薛岳). Apparently there was a small Shinto shrine next to the house in colonial times. As of 2025 the site is completely inaccessible to the public as it is located behind a high gate down a small alley.
Map
Heritage Status
- Municipal Monument (直轄市定古蹟)
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
- 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)
Nearby Locations
Author
:format(webp)/v/a-synaptic-2025-1.jpg)
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.