The Presidential Office Building is the work place of the

president of the Republic of China The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had aut ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. The building, located in the

Zhongzheng District Zhongzheng District (also Jhongjheng District) is a District (Taiwan), district in Taipei. It is home to most of the national government buildings of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), including the Presidential Office Building, Taipei, P ...

in the national

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

—

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, was designed by architect Uheiji Nagano during the period of Japanese rule of Taiwan (1895–1945). The structure originally housed the Office of the

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan ( ja, 臺灣總督, Taiwan Sōtoku) was the head of the Government-General of Taiwan in the Japanese era (including Formosa and the Pescadores) when they were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945. The Jap ...

. Damaged in Allied bombing during World War II, the building was restored after the war by

Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to: * Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty * Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Chen Yi (; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June ...

, the governor-general of

Taiwan Province Taiwan Province (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ, PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a nominal Administrative divisions of Taiwan, administrative division of the Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC). Its definition has remained part of the Constit ...

. It became the Presidential Office in 1950 after the

government of the Republic of China The Government of the Republic of China, is the national government of the Republic of China whose ''de facto'' territory currently consists of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other island groups in the "free area". Governed by the De ...

lost control of

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

and relocated the nation's capital to Taipei at the end of the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

. At present, this Baroque-style building is a symbol of the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

and a famous historical landmark in downtown

History

At the time Japanese rule of

and the

Pescadores The Penghu (, Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, cov ...

began in 1895, the governor-general of Taiwan set up temporary headquarters at the former

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

secretariat. The new rulers began making long-term plans for development of the island. The plans soon included building a new headquarters for the governor-general. A two-stage architectural design contest was held in 1906 and 1910. The

architectural design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complic ...

of Uheiji Nagano was selected in 1910. Aspects of the design typical of Japanese architects in Taiwan's colonial period include a façade facing east and a creative blend of traditional European elements (Renaissance, Baroque and neoclassical). Plans were submitted to Tokyo where revisions were made to Nagano's original design. Tokyo authorities increased the height of the initial six-story central tower to 11 stories and made defensive improvements to the defense and corner towers. Construction began on 1 June 1912 and was completed on 31 March 1919 at a cost of 2.8 million Japanese yen. It became one of the best-known buildings in Taiwan during the period of Japanese rule after construction finished. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the building suffered heavy bombing from the Allied Powers and was severely damaged. On 31 May 1945, during the Raid on Taihoku, bombs hit the front left side, main lobby, and northern sections of the Taiwan Governor-General's Office. The fire burned for three days, damaging large parts of the building. Forty-five days after the air raid, Japan surrendered. The building was not repaired until 1947, when the

Taiwan Provincial Government The Taiwan Provincial Government was the government that governed Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. Its functions have been transferred to the National Development Council and other ministries of the Executive Yuan. History At the ...

initiated a restoration plan funded through private donations. The restoration involved approximately 81,000 workers and was completed at the end of 1948, looking only slightly different from the original building. Since the timing of the restoration's completion coincided with the 60th birthday of President

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, it was renamed Chieh Shou Hall. ("Chieh Shou" means "Long live Chiang Kai-shek".) Beginning in mid-1949, the building served as the southeast military affairs office and, following the retreat of the ROC central government from mainland China to Taiwan, it became the Office of the President in 1950. In 2006 the name Chieh Shou Hall was dropped. The structure is officially referred to in English simply as the Presidential Office Building. It was previously known as the Presidential Palace.

Chronology

*1895: The

cedes

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China and in the period before and during World War II in Japan, was a treaty signed at the , Shimonoseki, Japan on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China, ending the Firs ...

. Japanese rule begins in the island. *1906: First stage of design competition for the Governor-General's Office. *1910: Final stage of design competition; Uheiji Nagano's design selected. *1912: Construction of the Governor-General's Office begins. *1915: Beam-raising ceremony. *1919: Completion. *1945: Heavily damaged by Allied forces on May 31.

surrenders its troops. *1947: Restoration by the

of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

begins. *1948: Restoration completed. Building named Chieh Shou Hall in honor of President

. *1950: Building houses Office of the President after the ROC lost control of

. *1987: President

Chiang Ching-kuo Chiang Ching-kuo (27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China after its retreat to Taiwan. The eldest and only biological son of former president Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government ...

signs decree ending

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

in reception room (July 15). *1990: Lee Teng-hui receives fifty Wild Lily student demonstrators and pledges democratic reforms (March 21). *1996:

Lee Teng-hui Lee Teng-hui (; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese statesman and economist who served as President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the 1947 Constitution and chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 1988 to 2000. He was the fir ...

inaugurated as the first popularly elected

President of the Republic of China The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had aut ...

. *1998: Building declared a historic national monument by Ministry of the Interior. *2000: Chen Shui-bian is elected the first non-

KMT The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

President of the

since the end of martial law. *2006: Chen Shui-bian formally drops the name Chieh Shou Hall. *2008: Term of

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...

expires; newly elected President

Ma Ying-Jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...

sworn in. *2014: A truck slammed into the main gate of the Presidential Office Building. *2015: A replica of the Presidential Office Building was seen during the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

routine exercise in

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

. *2017: A man attacked the building guard with sword stolen from the

Republic of China Armed Forces Museum The Republic of China Armed Forces Museum (AFM; ) is a museum located on Guiyang Street in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It was opened on October 31, 1961, under the administration of the Republic of China Ministry of National Defen ...

Architecture

The Presidential Office Building occupies the city block between Chongqing South Road and Bo'ai Road in downtown Taipei. It is designed in the shape of two squares stretching from Baoqing Road to Guiyang Street. The 130 meter-wide facade faces east down multi-lane

Ketagalan Boulevard Ketagalan Boulevard () is an arterial road in Zhongzheng District in Taipei, Taiwan, between the Presidential Office Building and the . It is long and has a total of ten lanes in each direction with no median. History The former name of this ...

. This reflects the concerns of its Japanese architects, who often oriented important structures toward the rising sun at the head of long avenues. (This feature may also be seen in Main Library of

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

.) The building has ten entrances but only the front entrance and west gate are used for official functions. In the original design an ornate Baroque-style domed entrance hall greeted visiting dignitaries. This entrance hall was reconstructed with simpler interior features after destruction of the first hall in World War II. The west gate, the formal rear entrance of the building, features a grand marble staircase and porch lined with Ionic and

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

pillars. The two-part main building, six stories high, mainly houses government offices and maintenance services. The office wings feature balconies and long corridor that allow view of the sunlit North and South Gardens. The 60-meter tower at the center of the building was the tallest structure in the

Taipei Basin The Taipei Basin () is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by the Yangmingshan to the north, the Linkou Plateau to the west, and the Ridge of Xueshan Range to the southeast. The shape ...

during Japanese rule. When the Nationalist regime took power, a platform was built at the top floor to enable martial flag-raising ceremonies. The Presidential Office Building stands within walking distance of the Judicial Yuan Building, 228 Memorial Park, the

National Taiwan Museum The National Taiwan Museum (NTM; ), established in 1908, is the oldest museum in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was founded by the colonial government during Taiwan's period of Japanese rule. The museum is located in Zhongzheng District, Tai ...

, the original hospital of the National Taiwan University, the original East Gate of the City of Taipei, the

Chang Yung Fa Foundation Building Chang may refer to: People Surname * Chang (surname), the romanization of several separate Chinese surnames * Chang or Jang (Korean name), romanizations of the Korean surname Given name * Chang Bunker () (1811–1874), one of the original ...

(formerly Kuomintang Party Headquarters) and the

National Theater and Concert Hall The National Theater () and National Concert Hall () are twin performing arts venues at Liberty Square in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. Completed in 1987, the landmarks stand on the south and north sides of the square with Chiang Kai-s ...

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei. The monument, surr ...

. A few blocks to the west is Taipei's popular

Ximending Ximending (sometimes Hsimenting, ; Tâi-lô: Se-mn̂g-ting; Japanese Romaji: ) is a neighborhood and shopping district in the Wanhua District of Taipei, Taiwan, along with its main rival, the Eastern District of Taipei. Overview Ximending has b ...

shopping district with its historic cinema and

Zhongshan Hall Zhongshan Hall () is a historical building which originally functioned as the Taipei (Taihoku) City Public Auditorium (public hall). It is located at 98 Yanping South Road in the Ximending neighborhood of Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. In 1 ...

. A few blocks to the north is

Taipei Main Station Taipei Main Station () is a railway and metro station in Taipei, Taiwan. It is served by Taiwan High Speed Rail, the Taiwan Railways Administration, and the Taipei Metro. It is also connected through underground passageways to the terminal sta ...

and

Shin Kong Life Tower Shin Kong Life Tower (), at 51 stories and a height of , is one of Taiwan's earliest skyscrapers. The rose-colored tower topped by a pyramid stands in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taipei, and dates from 1993. Its first twelve floors and two ...

Access

The building is accessible within walking distance South West from

NTU Hospital Station National Taiwan University Hospital () is a metro station in Taipei, Taiwan served by Taipei Metro. Station overview The station is a two-level, underground station with an island platform. It has four exits, two of which are equipped with elev ...

of the

Taipei Metro Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...

. Former President Chen Shui-bian revealed that the grounds of the

Shilin Official Residence The Shilin Official Residence () is the former residence of late Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek located on Zhongshan North Road in Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan. History During the Japanese Colonial era on Taiwan, it was the l ...

contain the entrance to a hidden tunnel that connects to the Presidential Office Building.

Gallery

Image:Presidential Building (Taiwan).jpg, Front of the Presidential Office Building as seen from

Image:TaipeiROCPresidentialOfficeBuilding.jpg, The Presidential Office Building is in the

. File:Taiwan Presidential Building staircase with Military Police Officer guarding.jpg, The main staircase in the Presidential Office Building being guarded by

Republic of China Military Police The Republic of China Military Police (ROCMP; ) is a military police body under the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan. Unlike military police in many other countries, the ROCMP is a separate branch of the ROC Armed Forces. ROCMP is resp ...

Image:View of Presidential Office Building, Taiwan.jpg, The internal courtyard of the Presidential Office Building. Image:ROC Presidential Office (0753).JPG, Ching-kuo Hall in the Presidential Building is used to hold receptions, including presidential inaugurations. Image:Japanese_Instrument_of_Surrender_Document_Taipei_PresidentialOffice.jpg, Original

Japanese Instrument of Surrender The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied nat ...

from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on display.

References

External links

Office of the President

Government Information Office

Taiwan e-Government

Presidential Office Building
at the Bureau of Cultural Heritage website {{in lang, zh 1950 establishments in Taiwan Baroque architecture in Taipei Buildings and structures in Taipei Presidency of the Republic of China Government buildings in Taiwan Government buildings completed in 1919 National monuments of Taiwan Office buildings in Taipei Office buildings completed in 1919