| Zhongshan Hall | |
|---|---|
| Taipei_ZhongshanHall.jpg The Zhongshan Hall facade |
|
| Former names | Taipei City Hall |
| Alternative names | Chungshan Hall |
| General information | |
| Location | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Address | No. 98, Yanping S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100 |
| Current tenants | Taipei City Government |
| Construction started | November 23, 1932 |
| Completed | November 26, 1936 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Floor area | 113,750 square feet |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Ide Kaoru |
Zhongshan Hall (Chinese: 中山堂; pinyin: zhōngshāntáng) is a historical building which originally functioned as the Taipei City Hall. It is located at 98 Yanping South Road in the Ximending neighborhood of the Zhongzheng District in downtown Taipei City, Taiwan. In 1992, it was recognized by the government as a historic site.
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As a tribute to mark the ascension of the Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1928, the Japanese government in Taiwan dismantled the Qing Dynasty government office in Taipei and began the plan to erect the former Taipei City Hall.
On November 26, 1936, the construction of Taipei City Hall was finally completed after four years of extensive labor, which began on November 23, 1932. Ide Kaoru, the main architect serving as Chief Engineer in Taiwan under the Japanese Government, put to use the full cost of 980,000Yen and some 94,500 workers.
The four-story steel structure of the building was designed to be fire-resistane and to withstand severe earthquakes and typhoons. The original building was faced in light green tile to make it less visible to aerial bombers. The windows are adorned with classical designs in a Spanish Islamic style.[1] Accounting for roughly 44,179 square feet (4,104.4 m2) for the ground floor, the total area of the Taipei City has is around 113,750 square feet (10,568 m2), thus placing itself as the fourth largest City hall in the Empire of Japan at that time. It was smaller than only the City Hall of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.
After Taiwan's Retrocession to the Republic of China in 1945 after World War II, the Chief of Taiwan Provincial Administrative Office, Chen Yi represented the Allies and accepted a formal surrender from the Japanese. The surrendering Japanese commander was Ando Rikichi. The former Taipei City Hall was renamed Zhongshan Hall in honor of Sun Yatsen and functioned as an official meeting place under the Chinese government.
Zhongshan Hall has always been one of the formal reception areas for welcoming foreign guests and diplomats. Former guests have included US President Richard Nixon, former Korean President Syngman Rhee, former President of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem, former Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia, former Iranian Shan Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and others. Zhongshan Hall has also hosted memorial ceremonies such as the signing of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty and three formal inauguration ceremonies of the second, third, and fourth presidency and vice-presidency of the Republic of China.[2]