6 Historic Sites in Zhongshan District That You Shouldn't Miss

One of the few remaining old Taipei homes, this charming building was meticulously dismantled and rebuilt on new land in 1984.

A quaint garden long deserted has been renovated with the goal of revitalizing the historic site and become the place where dreams come true.Taiwan Film & Culture Association defines the core value of the Taipei Film House as "a site combining the quaint charm of a historic site and cinematography and providing a locus for creative interactions" It is hoped that this place will serve as a watering hole for local creative artists, a place where creativity takes flight. Interdisciplinary ideas may be exchanged through diverse activities including film festivals, seminars, and workshops, in order to inspire more creative thinking. It is highly expected that a brand new look may emerge through the integration of the historic site and cinematography, fusing the historical significance therein with visual arts, and thus broaden our cultural field of view and cultivate a profound sense of culture.

The Taiyuan Five Hundred Martyrs Tombs is located at the foot of Yuanshan hill (in front of the observatory), built in memory of the heroic death of soldiers when Shanxi’s Taiyuan fell into the hands of the enemy in 1949. At the premises, visitors will see the hall of sacrificial offerings, a stele platform, a memorial arch, and records of the history of the 500 Taiyuan martyrs.

Tsai Jui-yueh is a pioneer who devoted her life to the Taiwanese modern dance. Born in Tainan City in 1921, she learned the basics of dancing from Ishii Baku, the Japanese “father of modern dance”, before committing herself to introducing modern dance into Taiwan. She was revered as “ the mother of Taiwanese modern dance” because of her 500-odd productions that cover genres ranging from ballet to folk dances of all ethnicities; the productions she helped inspired include: “The Song of India” and “We Love Our Taiwan”. The historic structure of Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute was one of the tens of dormitories for Japanese colonial officials built around 1925 on Zhongshan N. Rd. and downtown Taipei; they were mostly wooden, Japanese-style duplexes. In 1953, Tsai purchased this former residence of a Japanese “Haninkan” official, with part of the house designated for choreographic rehearsals. She went on to convert it into a dance studio. In 1999, scholars insisted that Tsai’s dance studio, once destroyed in a fire and coveted by real estate developers, should be restored as a historic site in homage to Taiwanese modern dance.