Tamsui Customs Commissioner’s Residence

Completed in 1870 on the Puding (埔頂) heights overlooking the Tamsui River, this whitewashed colonial-style residence with arched verandas housed the Commissioner of Customs after Tamsui opened to foreign trade in the late Qing dynasty era. It was one of three houses built for the commissioner, his secretary, and staff; French naval bombardment destroyed the staff house during the 1884 Battle of Tamsui (滬尾之役) in the Sino-French War, and a depression in the garden is said to be a shell crater from the same engagement. Under Japanese rule the house hosted Itō Hirobumi (伊藤博文) in 1896 and later became a club for customs staff. After the war the secretary’s house was demolished, while this one served as the residence of Inspector General of Customs Lester Knox Little (李度). A 1996 plan to replace it with staff housing prompted a local preservation campaign; the residence, known as the Little White House (小白宮), was designated a monument in 1997 and reopened to the public after restoration in 2004.