銅鑼鄉重光診所

Tongluo Chongguang Clinic

September 24th, 2024

Completed in 1949, this conjoined health clinic and residence was the work of Liu Zhaofang (劉肇芳), a Hakka doctor who studied at Taipe Medical College (台北醫專). Built with Taiwanese cypress (紅檜) the doctor personally imported from Taipingshan, the design reflects a mix of Japanese, Chinese, and Western influences. The most obvious feature is the Japanese-style curved gable, or karahafu (唐破風), over the entrance. It is located just outside Tongluo Railway Station (銅鑼車站), making it relatively more well-connected than most small town clinics.

Tongluo Chongguang Clinic (銅鑼鄉重光診所) — Despite appearances this is a post-war structure.

Dr. Liu is also the father of a famous translator of Japanese literature, Liu Musha (劉慕沙), who married Chu Hsi-ning (朱西甯), another prominent writer. Their three daughters also grew up to be writers, among whom Chu T’ien-wen (朱天文) is widely known for co-authoring many of director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s screenplays. It is this connected that led to A Summer at Grandpa’s (1984) being filmed at the old clinic, which was still in business at the time. That all these writers spent considerable time in this house also seeps into their literature, and for that reason there is much more known about its history and the habits of its residents.

An Oblique View of Tongluo Chongguang Clinic (銅鑼鄉重光診所) — Another exterior shot of the old clinic with railway dormitories in the traffic mirror.

The old clinic was designated a heritage property in 2004 and is well-kept as of 2024. Although it is not regularly open to the public apparently tours can be arranged through the Miaoli government.