Twin Oaks () is a 17-acre estate located in the

Cleveland Park Cleveland Park is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located at and bounded approximately by Rock Creek Park to the east, Wisconsin and Idaho Avenues to the west, Klingle and Woodley Roads to the so ...

neighborhood in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was the residence of nine Republic of China ambassadors to the United States before the United States broke off

diplomatic ties Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

to 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 ...

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 ...

in 1979.

Architecture

The historic residence, completed in 1888, was designed by Francis Allen for Gardiner Green Hubbard, founder and first president of the National Geographic Society and father-in-law of

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

, the inventor of telephones.

History

Twin Oaks was listed on the

District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites The District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites is a register of historic places in Washington, D.C. that are designated by the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), a component of the District of Columbia Govern ...

in 1983, the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1986, and is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

in the Cleveland Park Historic District. The estate was the residence of nine

ambassadors to the United States from 1937 until 1979 when the United States switched diplomatic recognition to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), currently represented by the

Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), also known as Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taipei Representative Office (TRO) or Taipei Mission, is an alternative diplomatic institution serving as a ''de facto'' e ...

in Washington in place of an official embassy, continues to own the property and uses it for official receptions. On 1 January 2015, the

flag of the Republic of China A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employ ...

was raised for the first time since the end of diplomatic relations in 1979. The ceremony was held by the

in the U.S., a move symbolizing significant progress in

Taiwan–United States relations The bilateral relationship between Taiwan and the United States of America are the subject of the Japan-U.S. relations during Japanese colonial rule and China-U.S.relations before the government of the Republic of China (ROC) led by the Ku ...

. Representative

Shen Lyu-shun Shen Lyu-shun (; 12 November 1949 – 6 January 2023) was a Taiwanese diplomat who served at posts in the United States and Europe. He also served in the Department of North American Affairs in the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He wa ...

said that they not only returned, but they did it with dignity, respect and honor. The Obama Administration's State Department spokesperson responded at the daily press briefing that "The ceremony is not consistent with U.S. policy. We remain fully committed to the U.S.

One China Policy The term One China may refer to one of the following: * The One China principle is the position held by the People's Republic of China (PRC) that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the PRC serving as the sole legit ...

, based on the

Three Communiqués The Three Communiqués or Three Joint Communiqués () are a collection of three joint statements made by the governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.). The communiqués played a crucial role in the establishme ...

and the

Taiwan Relations Act The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA; ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Thôi-van Kwan-hè-fap''; ) is an act of the United States Congress. Since the formal recognition of the People's Republic of China, the Act has defined the officially substantial but non-diplom ...

. No U.S. Government personnel attended the event in any capacity." In April 2021, the Biden administration loosened restrictions on contacts between U.S. government officials and their Taiwanese counterparts. As a result, U.S. officials are now allowed to attend events at Twin Oaks, subject to certain conditions.

References

External links

Washington, DC SP Twin Oaks

{{Taiwan–United States relations 1888 establishments in Washington, D.C. Houses completed in 1888 Colonial Revival architecture in Washington, D.C. Diplomatic residences in Washington, D.C. Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Taiwan–United States relations

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links