May 4, 2005
Taipei Story House

Published in Centered on Taipei Magazine April 2004

From “Coffin House” to “Story House”

Shirlee Posner spent a morning at the Story House and learnt the fascinating tale behind Taipei’s only Tudor-style house from public relations officer Elaine Liu.

Built beside the Keelung River, to a blue-print of a typical Western house of the era bought from the East-India Company, ,Yuanshan Villa must have been a curious site in 1914 when it was completed under the shadow of a Shinto Shrine where the Grand Hotel now stands.
Credit for this elegant, newly restored house goes to an entrepreneurial tea merchant, who after traveling to Paris in 1900 to sell tea from his Taiwanese plantations, fell in love with Western architecture. On his return he recreated a symbol of it here in Taipei to use as a weekend house to entertain his business associates, members of the Taiwanese gentry, Japanese officials and foreign visitors.
When the house was originally built, it was given direct access to the Keelung River so that the owner, Chen Chao-chun, could travel by boat to his business premises in the busy trading area of Di-Hua Street. The land around the house covered a substantial area and in fact the plot where the Museum of Fine Arts stands today is in the original garden of the Yuanshan Villa.

The house itself has many beautiful features, some restored and some surviving as they were when it was built. The decorative floor tiles in the downstairs bathroom are original, as are some of the wall tiles which were copied as part of the restoration program to keep the detail exact. If you look closely enough you can just detect which tiles are new. Plaster details on the ceilings have all been replaced, but conform to the original pattern. Although many of the fittings were bought in from Europe to furnish the house when it was built, all the wood used was Taiwanese. One of my favorite features is the fireplace in the downstairs living room.

Architectural curiosity and benevolence

What is startlingly clear is that in the period this house was built (1913-1914), it must have been a fascinating site amongst all the original Chinese style temples and structures of that period. The house was not only a local tourist attraction but renowned for having some of the best views in Northern Taipei. Many of these are now sadly obscured by the road and MRT system that has been built nearby.

Yuanshan District was a rural area when the Villa was built, with rice paddies and tea slopes. Elaine told me an interesting story about how the name “Coffin House” came to be. The owner, altruistic by nature, was distressed to find out that one of the local residents was too poor to pay for the funeral of a loved one. He asked for the bereaved to bring to him the death certificate and he paid for the funeral. Once word got out, others in the same position also came to him and each time he would oblige.

Unfortunately Mr Chao-chun was only able to enjoy his house for ten years before his sudden death. The family were thrust into debt on his departure due to the collapse of his tea business and the house became the property of the Japanese Colonial Government. For a period of years it was used for different purposes: at one time as a detention center by the Japanese for dissidents and also as a home for a prominent politician- the speaker of the Legislative Yuan, Huang Kuo-shu.

From tatters to former glory
Finally, in 1990, by which time the building stood empty and in tatters, the Taipei City Government purchased the property in order to preserve its heritage, but lacked a restoration fund, until Chen Kuo-tsi, a Taipei lawyer, decided to help. She obtained legal stewardship of the building and implemented a plan to restore the house with City Hall approval. Backed by a US$1-million grant from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Foundation, the house was made into a museum and cultural center. Chen said in a press release at the time "I was born in Hong Kong, but Taiwan, this place I've lived in for 25 years, feels more like home. So I feel an obligation to help boost the island's cultural life." Her enthusiasm for cultural activities is also demonstrated by serving for three years as the first chief executive of the National Culture and Arts Foundation. "Although a long succession of occupants have come and gone, Yuanshan Villa still remains appealing to Taipei residents because of its lovely style."
The new name for the building, “Story House”, comes from the translation from Mandarin to English of past things which fits the concept for the house to become a museum of piece of Taipei’s past. It’s a delightful place to be and in the courtyard, the Ritz Landis operate a café and restaurant with an indoor and outdoor seating area, where live music events take place at the weekend. Once you step inside the walled garden from Zhongshan North Road, the atmosphere transports you to a more sedate and gentle era. It’s a place that you feel you want to be.

Exhibitions and events

The Story House today is a thriving arts and cultural center dedicated to helping Taipei residents understand the history and lifestyle of the period the house was built. Photographs are displayed on the walls each one showing a unique glimpse of a past life: the first bus to run (in 1913), the original Yuanshan Zoo ( now the Children’s Recreation Center) and many more pictures, each telling a story of their own.

Many of the activities in and around the house are related to tea, and a few weeks ago I went with Ivy Chen to a green tea tasting session there. We tried six different teas, some from Taiwan and some from Mainland China, which were startlingly different in taste and price. Tea aficionados think nothing of paying up to NT$15 -20,000 for a kilo of some of the rarer teas picked at specific times of the year. Ivy told me that the average consumer will pay around NT$1,000 per kilo. Tours of the house in English should be arranged through the PR department (details below) as currently all activities take place in Chinese, so unless you have a command of the language or someone to interpret for you they’re not currently accessible.
As well as tea related events, there are also music performances and changing exhibitions. The current exhibition on the history of Taiwanese comics with drawing workshops for children is about to end but the next will be a study of Taiwanese leisure and life between 1900 and 1937. Exhibits will include old films, pictures, geisha society and how it was interlinked with the Intellectual movement who got together to recite poetry. At weekends and during special events, musicians will also play nanguan Music (described below), which was popular when the house was first built.

Local artists, handmade paper and gifts

Gift shops are usually full of tacky stuff that you simply don’t need, however the gift shop here is as unique as the house and is worth a visit in its own right. If you need a gift with a little history or uniqueness this is the place. It doesn’t have a huge selection, but it stocks the work of local artists, who have been commissioned specifically to create pieces that tie in with the mission of the Story House. Little stuffed donkeys are made by a group of women in Nantou County, who donate ten percent of the profit to the 1999 earthquake fund, while reams of beautiful, printed handmade paper go for NT$80 per sheet. Coffee mugs with designs from the Chinese zodiac also stood out, as did hand-embroidered silk calling card holders. Traditional Chinese fabric by the yard or ready-made into placemats also caught my eye, as did a strange model of a block of tofu on its traditional wooden board. Closer inspection revealed that this was made out of ceramic modeling clay and the detail was incredible, as was the price: NT$20,000. An interesting range of CDs of traditional music is also for sale.

The Story House is a wonderful place to visit and its location next to the Fine Arts Museum is a great bonus. Go with the intention of having a cup of Taiwanese tea in the garden on a sunny day for a glimpse into the decadent days of a bygone era.

Shirlee Posner is a member of the UK Guild of Food Writers. She has lived in Taipei for three years. To help raise funds for this free publication Shirlee will be giving a cookery demonstration with Justin Dingle at the ACC on April 24th. Contact the Center for details.

Information
Address: No. 181-1, Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City
Tel: (02) 2587-5565; Website: www.storyhouse.com.tw
open hours: 10:30am -6:30pm (Tuesday -Sunday, closed on Mondays)

Whats on
Nanguan Music Performance: Spring Season
Nanguan, an ancient Chinese music, was often heard in this historic site during Chen Chao-chun’s period. Nanguan masters from the Nanguan Ensemble will play live in the garden of Taipei Story House.
Date: March 14 to May 23 (3/14, 3/28, 4/11, 4/25, 5/9, 5/23) Sundays 4.00 pm -6.00 pm
Life Movement Classroom
Taipei Story House and Cloud Gate Dance School will hold free dance lessons in the garden, guiding children to explore body and movement.
Dates: 3/21, 4/18, 5/16, 6/20 (Sundays)
Age 4-6: 4:00 - 4:40 pm
Age 7-8: 5:00 - 5:40 pm
To join, please fill in the registration form which is available in the ticket booth at Taipei Story House or through fax or a download from their website.
Taipei Story Corner - One Saturday afternoon every month, Taipei Story House will invite scholars or experts to share their knowledge of Taipei or local culture.
Date: Saturday 10th April 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm.
Venue: 1st Floor balcony of Taipei Story House
Speaker: Chiu Hsu-lin (consultant of Leisure Arts in Old Taiwan Exhibition)
Topic: The Legend of Taiwan Geisha
NOTE: basic Chinese skill is necessary for all the above events
For details of these events: please call Elaine Liu at 2587-5565 ext. 109 or email: elaine@storyhouse.com.tw

How to get there:
By Car : From Tienmu, take Zhongshan N. Rd. to Section 3 and look out for the Fine Arts Museum on the left-hand side. There is some public parking on Jiu Quan Street.
Bus: Take one of the following bus lines, 40, 42, 203, 208, 216, 218, 220, 224, 247, 260, 277, 279, 287, 308, 310, 612 and get off at the Yuanshan bus stop.
MRT: Go to Yuanshan Station on the Xindian to Dansui Line, then walk for five minutes.