【Address】No.1, Jhongjheng Road, West Central District, Tainan City.
【Brief Introduction】
The Tainan State Government Hall is the architecture wonder of Matsunosuke Mori-yama, the official architect of the government. The construction exhibits grace and el-egance, and is often considered one of the most outstanding architecture of the Japa-nese occupation.
【History】
In the beginning of the Japanese occupation, the State Hall of Tainan was located in an area (modern-day Yongfu Elementary School) under the inspection of the officials of the Qing dynasty. Around 1912, the Hall was newly constructed in Singding.
Completed in 1916, with a change in the administrative system of Taiwan, the Tainan Hall was changed to the Tainan State Government Hall. After the war, it was used by the Tainan government as headquarters for the airforce.
As the building has been used to accommodate the use and misuse of various govern-ment units throughout different periods, in addition to the damages as a result of the war, the main construction has fallen to disrepair. In 1997, reconstruction work took place and in 2003, the building was converted into a two-storey building with three levels of basement underneath. The building now sports a whole new refreshing look.
On October 17, 2003, The National Museum of Taiwan Literature was established to reminisce the efforts and spirit of The Taiwanese Cultural Association, a pioneer or-ganisation promoting Taiwanese culture.
【Features】
The majestic Tainan State Government Hall proudly exhibits classical grace and ele-gance, characteristic of Matsunosuke Moriyama’s architectural work. It survived the bombings of the allies during the Second World War, though severely damaged. After several reconstructions, it still stands as one of the most representative buildings in Taiwan, along with others such as the Taipei State Hall (modern-day Control Yuan) and Taichung State Hall (modern-day City Planning and Development Bureau and the Government Protection Bureau of Taichung City). The building originally had a Man-sard roof (with thick wide slanting sides), which was unfortunately destroyed during the war.