Zhai-Ming Monastery (齋明寺)

April 30, 2017 in Travel, Temples, Photo Post, Taoyuan

On the last day of my Lunar New Year holiday I planned an action-packed day that would require waking up a lot earlier than usual during the holidays and getting myself out to Daxi Village to get more photos for my blog about the the Daxi Butokuden. From there I had plans to visit a historic property near the village which has been under renovation and closed to the public for several years now before meeting my friends for dinner and drinks in the late afternoon.

After visiting the Butokuden I drove over to the historic property only to find out that while its Facebook page said it was reopened, it was in fact still closed. Extremely unimpressed I quickly decided that I'd use the time to go check out a local Buddhist monastery which has become somewhat of an in-thing these days with tourism in Taoyuan.

Daxi has always been one of my favourite places to visit and even after a decade of living in Taoyuan, I'm happy that I'm still finding new interesting things all the time. The village is popular with tourists both domestic and international for its popular "old street" (大溪老街) and the Cihu Mausoleum (慈湖陵寢), the newly reopened Daxi Tea Factory (大溪老茶廠) and for people like me, the Daxi Butokuden.

The monastery which sits on a mountain on the opposite side of the Dahan River (大漢溪) is known as Zhai-Ming Monastery (齋明寺) and was originally constructed in 1873 (清同治12年). Known as one of the oldest monasteries in the area, it was classified as a Third-Grade Historic Site (三級古蹟) by the Ministry of the Interior in 1985.

While the traditional Fujian style 'Sanheyuan' (三合院) building is impressive in design, what attracted me most to this historic building was the amazing amount of imagery found on the roof and on the outer walls of the building which tell not only the Buddhist story but also includes a bit of local history and culture.

Before I get into that though I'm going to talk about the modern history of the popular monastery - In 1999, Master Sheng-Yen (聖嚴), founder of Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山), one of Taiwan's largest Buddhist organizations assumed control of the ancient monastery. The organization made plans to restore the beautiful property to its original glory, but in September of that year the devastation 921 Earthquake (921大地震) which rocked the entire country caused quite a bit of damage to the monastery.

After years of restoration, the monastery reopened to the public in 2009 with the original buildingbeing completely restored while making a few additions with modern lodgings for the monks of the Dharma Drum Mountain to the side and an impressive newly constructed "Zen Hall" behind the original building.

The new buildings were constructed with the vision that the original building should be the main attraction while the newer buildings would fade into the surroundings with the emphasis on maintaining the natural environment offering a blend between modern and ancient architecture.

The original Sanheyuan itself was meticulously restored with artisans restoring the beautiful imagery both in the interior of the building and receiving expert care. The result is an extremely well preserved historical building that has once again become a functional monastery as well as having imagery that as far as I'm concerned rivals only that of nearby Qingshui Temple in Sanxia.

Originally founded as a Buddhist monastery in 1873, the history of the temple has seen periods of integration of both Taoism and Chinese folk religion and periods of administration that were led by laypeople (non-monastics). That all changed though when the people at Dharma Drum took control of the property and returned it to its original roots as a Buddhist monastery.

The origins of the monastery dates back to 1850 when a local farmer named Li Ajia (李阿甲) became a Buddhist and decided to take a pilgrimage to Putuo Mountain (普陀山) in China. The mountain which sits on an island southeast of Shanghai is one of China's four sacred mountains (四大佛教名山) and is an incredibly important site for Chinese Buddhism.

Li's pilgrimage brought him to Fa Yu Temple (法雨寺) where he became a monk receiving the Dharma name "Hsing-Yue" (性悅). A few years later he returned to his hometown bringing with him a statue of Guanyin and built a cottage there where he intended to continue his monastic life and promote Buddhism in Taiwan.

When it comes to temple design, Taiwan is second to none in the way these beautiful buildings are constructed and that is something that has been consistent throughout the last several centuries of development. Temples dedicated to Taoism and Chinese Folk Religion are typically very ornate while temples dedicated solely to Buddhism are often a little bit more low-key.

This monastery however keeps with the low-key design aspect of typical Buddhist places of worship but when we consider that over the years the temple evolved from its original purpose as a Buddhist monastery and included aspects of Taoism and Folk Religion, it makes sense that it has ultimately become a bit more ornate than others and the imagery displayed on the outside of the temple in the form of murals and sculptures on the roof make the main part of the temple an interesting place to look and enjoy the craftsmanship that went into both its construction and its recent restoration.

While visiting the monastery it's important to keep an eye out for the murals that are painted and carved on the exterior of the building. The murals tell the story of the Buddha's life in chronological order (from left to right) from his birth to enlightenment and his death. There are also murals of Dragons, Qilin (麒麟) and various other mystical animals painted throughout the exterior.

An interesting thing to note is that you will find various versions of the Chinese word "明" (Ming) throughout the temple. For example you can see both "朙" and "眀" which are old words and are rarely used anymore these days. They all have the same pronunciation and the same meaning which makes their usage here quite special and is also a sign of the age of this building.

The interior of the building is quite interesting albeit quite small - Unfortunately they don't allow photography in the main shrine area so I wasn't able to focus on too many of the minute details. The main shrine is dedicated to Guanyin (觀音) while the shrines to the left and the right are dedicated to Taoist and Folk Religion deities.

The staff at the monastery are quite strict about not allowing visitors to take photos inside, so the best I could do was use my telephoto lens to get a few shots of the main shrine. While the staff are quite strict they are also quite helpful and are more than willing to discuss even the minute details of the building. I spent most of my time at the monastery chatting with one of the workers who I found to be extremely knowledgeable about the history of the place and was even able to teach me a few interesting things.

As mentioned above, the monastery has become somewhat of a tourist attraction as the local Taoyuan government continues its admirable efforts in promoting the once obscure county into one that is attractive to both domestic and international tourists. The county has targeted many of its historic buildings for restoration and has started to promote them.

The monastery is open to the public for tours and offers Buddhist lunches and dinners as well as classes for people who want to learn more. While visiting the temple its important to be relatively quiet as it is a functioning monastery, but don't be afraid, you won't be hassled by people for donations or pressured to listen to any lectures. The monks that walk around will smile and greet you but won't push an agenda on you.

If you are in the Daxi area, I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful monastery so that you can appreciate this beautifully preserved historic building as well as the beautiful hiking trail behind it which gives excellent views of Daxi village, Daxi Bridge (大溪大橋) and the Dahan River.

Location / Address

Address: #153 Zhai-Ming Street, Daxi Village, Taoyuan County.

地址：桃園市大溪區齋明街153號　電話：03-3801426

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)

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Tainan Confucius Temple (台南孔廟)

April 22, 2017 in Temples, Photo Post, Tainan, Travel

When people talk about history in Taiwan, the first place that comes to mind is "Tainan". The city which is in the south of the country was once the capital of the island and is often referred to as the "Capital City" (府城) despite Taipei currently being the capital of Taiwan. The city is one of the oldest in the country and if you've spent any amount of time in Taipei, a walk through Tainan almost seems as if you're been transported to a completely different country.

Tainan's modern history of development stretches back to when the Dutch East India Company established a fort and trading post in the area in 1624. The city then became the capital of the Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) established by Koxinga (鄭成功) and his family after the Dutch were expelled which was then followed by a period of control by the Qing Dynasty (清朝), the Japanese Empire and the Republic of China.

Through all these turbulent periods of political and foreign rule, the people of Tainan have been able to absorb those foreign cultures, cuisines and architectural styles and build a unique city with an identity of its own with arguably the best cuisine in the whole of Taiwan.

While Taipei might currently occupy the position as the political capital of Taiwan, Tainan is certainly the cultural capital and if you want to really experience Taiwan's 'folk culture' at its best, a trip to Tainan is the best recommendation anyone can give you. The amount of historical and cultural sites available for both domestic tourists as well as international travellers is enough to keep you busy for days.

In this post I want to talk about one of Tainan's oldest and most celebrated residents - The Tainan Confucius Temple. The temple with its three and a half century old history was the first Confucius Temple constructed in Taiwan (of which there are now many) and is considered to be the first real "school" in Taiwan. The temple today serves as a popular tourist attraction and is an important historical site where ancient tradition is both practiced and preserved so that future generations can continue to experience not only Confucian philosophical values but also the Taiwanese folk traditions which have helped shape Taiwan into the country it is today.

History

To start, I want to make a bit of a clarification in case you are confused about the name of the temple. The Tainan Confucius Temple (台南孔子廟) goes by a few names, I'm going to be consistent with this post and refer to it only as the "Tainan Confucius Temple", but for clarity sake the temple also goes by "Taiwan Confucius Temple" (臺灣孔廟) as well as the "Scholarly Temple" (全台首學) or “Taiwan's first school" depending on how you want to translate the Chinese name.

Each of the names reflects a period of Tainan's history - The "Scholarly Temple" refers to the fact that the "first" school in Taiwan was founded on the grounds of the temple while the "Taiwan Confucius Temple" receives its name from a time when the temple was the only Confucian Temple in Taiwan and was the place where people would have to go not only to receive an education but to prepare for the Imperial examination (科舉) if they wished to become a civil servant. Today there are more than twenty Confucius Temples in Taiwan and each one is associated with the city in which it resides, so referring to the temple as the Tainan Confucius Temple today makes sense.

The temple easily makes claims as being the first in a few areas - It is considered to be the first educational institution in Taiwan, the first Confucius Temple as well as the first temple dedicated to the veneration of literature and the arts.

With a history dating back to 1665, the temple has gone through several different transformations and has had to be rebuilt several times due to the turbulent nature of Taiwan's political and colonial history. Even though not all of the buildings we see today are over 350 years old, the fact remains that this temple has played an instrumental role in Taiwan's history.

To explain the history in clear terms, I'm going to separate it into different sections based on the different colonial and political eras that Taiwan has undergone and talk a little bit about what happened at the temple during each period.

Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國)

The Tainan Confucius Temple was originally constructed in 1665 under the instruction of Zheng Jing, the son of Ming-loyalist and Pirate-King Koxinga's (鄭成功). The Zheng family is an important one in the history of Tainan and even though their Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) lasted only two decades (1662-1683) before being overthrown by the Qing Dynasty, they made a lasting impact on the city.

The Zheng Family which set up shop in Tainan in a (failed) attempt to amass the forces necessary to overthrow the Qing dynasty (清朝) and restore the Ming dynasty (明朝) sought to promote the principles of the Ming which included Confucian values of education as well as encouraging the people of Taiwan to take up the civil service exam.

The temple built in 1665 included a small Dacheng Hall (大成殿) where the veneration of Confucius would take place as well as what we now refer to as the Minglun Hall (明倫堂) which is credited with being Taiwan's first place of public education.

Qing Dynasty (清治時期)

During the Qing Dynasty the grounds of the Confucius Temple were renovated and expanded upon several times to include two halls to the east and west of the main shrine as well as the Chongsheng Shrine (崇聖祠), a shrine to the Taoist Earth God (福德正神) and a shrine dedicated to the God of Literature (文昌大地). The Temple was renamed at the time to reflect its importance as Taiwan's first school (全台首學) but was known locally as a Confucius Temple.

The Qing didn't really have a lot lot of influence in the south of Taiwan but the expansion of the temple was an important part of its history and even though the temple we see today isn't the same as what we see today, the Qing government laid the foundations for the current design according to the traditional architectural style of Confucius temples in China compared to what was originally put in place by the Cheng family.

Japanese Colonial Era (日治時期)

During the Japanese Colonial Era the temple initially kept up its role as a place of education and became part of the Japanese public school system. Later, the Japanese built a much larger school on the temple's grounds (Today's Zhongyi Elementary School 忠義國小) and then appropriated neighbouring land to construct the Tainan Martial Arts Hall (台南武德殿).

During the Second World War however the temple suffered the same fate as a lot of other ancient places of worship in Taiwan (Longshan Temple, Taipei Confucius Temple for example) and became a hiding spot for munitions which ultimately made it a target for allied bombing campaigns causing quite a bit of damage with required the temple to undergo a number of repairs and renovation projects.

Republic of China Era (民國時期)

When the Republic of China (under the control of the Chinese Nationalist Party) became the governing authority over Taiwan the government took quick steps to erase Japanese language and traditions among the population. The government came up with a campaign to 'promote' Chinese culture which ultimately stretched beyond Japanese and promoted Mandarin over all of the other languages spoken in the country.

The promotion of traditional Chinese culture became an important aspect of the governments policies and places like Confucius Temples were looked upon as perfect places for the government to achieve their goals.

The Tainan Confucius Temple being the temple in Taiwan with the longest history was thus promoted as an important tourist site and place for people to go and pay respects to the all-important Chinese philosopher and educator while newer temples were constructed in his honour in various other cities throughout the country.

Additions to the Tainan temple were made as well as both repairs and renovations since then with work being done in 1953 (民國42年), again in 1977 (民國66年), 1979 (民國68年) and then once again in 1989 (民國78年) shortly after the site was granted protected status as a national historic site.

While the temple's history has spanned a number of different political eras, a new tradition started when the ROC set up shop on the island. It became a tradition with each of the presidents presenting a plaque to the temple with one of the many sayings of Confucius. Despite the polarizing political situation in Taiwan it is a tradition that has been kept since the time of Chiang Kai-Shek all the way to the current president.

Design

Confucius temples tend to be uniform in their simplicity - Unlike the overwhelming beauty of Taiwanese folk temples and Taoist temples - Confucius temples stand alone in their almost "zen-like" nature in that they don't have shiny gold or bronze decorations and murals all over the walls with hundreds of sticks of incense creating a haze throughout the temple.

The simplicity exhibited in Confucius temples throughout China, Hong Kong and Taiwan is meant to be a show of respect to Confucius as well as the importance of his philosophical views of education and his influence on Chinese culture and history.

One of the common features of all Confucius temples is that there is no imagery or statues of Confucius. This is a rule that goes back almost 500 years to the Ming Dynasty (明朝) when the emperor decreed that all Confucius temples should be uniform and only have "spirit tablets" (神位) rather than images of the sage. Although if you really want to see a statue of the sage there are several temples nearby this one that have shrines dedicated to him.

Dacheng Hall (大成殿)

Dacheng Hall is the main shrine area of any Confucius temple - The hall sits in the middle of a granite courtyard with a large elevated platform in front of it as well as on the sides. Inside the hall is a very simple shrine set up with the Confucius Spirit Tablet (神位) on a nice red table with several plaques above it.

One of the main differences between this Confucius Temple and the others throughout the country is that while we often refer to it as the "Tainan Confucius Temple" it is also known as the "Taiwan Confucius Temple" due to its historical importance. Because of this, it has become tradition since the Republic of China took up shop in Taiwan for each President to place a plaque of their own in the shrine room with each President making their own addition.

The plaques and their meanings are as follows:

President Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣介石): "Education for All" (有教無類)
President Yen Chia-Kan (嚴家淦): “The teacher for all ages" (萬世師表）
President Chiang Ching-Kuo (蔣經國): "Tao is Universal Through All Times" (道貫古今)
President Lee Teng-Hui (李登輝): "The highest of moral character "(德配天地)
President Chen Shui-Bian (陳水扁): "The world will flourish if we work together "(中和位育）
President Ma Ying Jeou (馬英九): "Confucian Education is Transformative" (聖德化育)
President Tsai Ying-Wen (蔡英文): "Equal Education for a Moral Society" (德侔道昌)

This shrine room is a stark contrast to what you'd normally see at a Taoist temple in Taiwan and the plaques are probably the shiniest things that you'll notice when you walk in the room. The simplicity of the shrine room is something that is common with all Confucius Temples where priority is placed not on the man as a "god" but as an extraordinary philosopher and educator.

On either side of the Confucius shrine there are additional shrines dedicated to the four sages (四配) Yan Hui (顏子), Zengzi (曾子), Zisi (子思) and Mencius (孟子) who were Confucius scholars and authored books which expanded upon the Confucian philosophy and has had a lasting impact on Chinese culture and the diaspora of Chinese people's throughout the world.

The building is the highest building within the main complex and is elevated off the ground. In the front of the hall is a stone carved mural of a dragon with several more dragons on the roof. In the middle of the roof there is a 'seven-levelled' pagoda which is thought to suppress evil.

What most tourists don't realize about the temple is that while it is advertised as having an over 350 year history, it has since been reconstructed several times and the Dacheng Hall that we see today was actually reconstructed in 1977 making it only about 40 years old.

Dacheng Gate (大成門)

The Dacheng Gate acts as the entrance to a Confucius Temple. The gate typically forms a perimeter around the courtyard and the Dacheng Hall. In most cases the gate is likely to be the most ornate part of the entire temple with murals to the sides of the main entrance as well as intricate designs on the roof.

The Dacheng Gate and the courtyard in front of it at the Tainan Confucius Temple is a popular meeting place for the people of Tainan and is often the site of quite a few events with seniors coming out to practice Tai Chi in the mornings, sing karaoke in the afternoon as well as various other activities.

Taking into consideration that the front of the Dacheng Gate is often a busy place, it is often quite difficult to get wide angle photos of the main shrine without a bunch of people crowding up the picture. For a photographer it can be a bit annoying but truthfully I think the fact that the temple is so busy is a great thing.

The gate also acts as a place where you need to pay an admission fee to gain access to the main part of the shrine. In most cases I wouldn't pay admission to gain access to a temple, especially a tourist temple, but in the case of the Tainan Confucius Temple I'm happy to pay the 25NT entrance fee as the money goes towards the upkeep preservation of the building.

The Gate was constructed in 1715 and was restored between 1987 and 1989. The murals on the outside of the gate are in excellent condition and were wonderfully restored. The roof is constructed with a three ridged Swallow-Tail ridged roof (燕尾脊) design.

Chongsheng Shrine (崇聖祠)

The Chongsheng Shrine is traditionally situated behind the main Dacheng Hall in all Confucius Temples and is used as a shrine room to venerate several generations of the ancestors of Confucius as well as the various Confucian sages and philosophers throughout history. This shrine room is not unlike a shrine room that you'd find in any large Taiwanese home and is an important place for ancestral worship for the descendants of Confucius.

Those descendants have spread out throughout China, Taiwan and Korea so the Confucius Temple's throughout Asia also act as an ancestral shrine giving them a place to worship.

The shrine venerates five generations of Confucius's descendants and is a windowless room made of wood with eighteen beautiful red pillars. The shrine was constructed in 1723 but underwent repairs most recently 1985 and 1986.

Education Hall (明倫堂)

The Education Hall or "Minglun Hall" is probably my favourite part of visiting the Tainan Confucius Temple. As I've mentioned above, Confucius Halls are for the most part uniform in design but this one is able to get away with being a little different thanks to its historical importance.

The Education Hall at the Tainan Confucius Temple actually predates the temple itself and is the reason the temple gets its name "Taiwan's First School" (全台首學). The hall was built in 1663, expanded again in 1700 and then renovated and restored between 1987 and 1989. It consists of a main gate with a courtyard and the main building which is usually open and has excellent air circulation.

Design-wise, the exterior of the Education Hall follows a lot of the same design techniques as the Confucius Temple especially when it comes to the roof. The interior however is what separates this small hall from the rest of the temple complex.

The interior is a calligraphers wonderland and features a beautiful wall of calligraphy taken from "The Great Learning" (大學章句), one of the four books authored by Confucius and is a recreation of the work of Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫) one of the greatest calligraphers to have ever lived.

While the main attraction to the hall is the wall of calligraphy that faces the exit, there are also two large characters on each wall facing each other that read "忠孝節義" and refer to loyalty and filial piety which are the cornerstones of the Confucian philosophy.

Wenchang Pavilion (文昌塔)

Behind the Minglun Hall is the Wenchang Pavilion, which actually looks more like a pagoda than a pavilion. The pavilion is often open to the public but usually only the weekends.

The pavilion has three floors and has a very narrow stairway that allows guests to walk up the old wooden stairs. Each floor has a shrine to a Taoist god with there being a shrine dedicated to the Great Master Kui (魁星) - whom interestingly I heard a young Taiwanese man in front of the shrine refer to as "Kui-Ge" (魁哥) which is a Taiwanese colloquial way of calling him "Brother Kui."

The third floor is dedicated to the Wenchang Emperor (文昌大地), the Taoist God of Literature and is an important god for students who want to score well on tests or gain admission to a good school.

The best part of the old pavilion is the view you get from the windows on the second and third floor which give you a nice vantage point to check out the roof of the Confucius Temple.

Getting There

The Tainan Confucius Temple is considered to be one of those must-visit tourist spots not only in Tainan, but also in Taiwan. The temple is more than three centuries old and is taken care of extremely well. The modern history of Taiwan through all of its political turmoil and modern development are written all over the storied walls of this beautiful temple complex. A stop here not only offers tourists a chance to learn about Taiwanese history but allows guests to really appreciate a bit of peace and quiet in Taiwan's first place of higher education.

If you are visiting Taiwan, I can't tell you how important it is that you make it a priority to get out of Taipei and spend some time visiting Tainan. The history of this country is put on display in every little nook and cranny of this beautiful city and the Confucius Temple is one of those places where you get to enjoy it in whatever language you speak!

For more information about Taiwan’s Confucius Temple’s please check out my Confucius Temple Guide.

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Photos)

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Changhua Martial Arts Hall (彰化武德殿）

April 15, 2017 in Photo Post, Japanese Colonial Era, Changhua, Travel

If you’ve been following this blog for any period of time, you’re likely aware that one of the areas where I’ve focused quite a bit of my time and attention over the past few years has been on historic sites in Taiwan dating back to the fifty year period of Japanese colonial rule. More specifically, I’ve focused a lot that research on the handful of remaining Martial Arts Halls that you’ll find scattered across the country. Spending all these years researching the history and architectural design of these buildings, I’ve learned quite a lot, especially when compared to when I first started publishing articles about them. So, even though I’ve yet to complete the project (I still have a few more left to visit), I’ve taken some time to do complete overhauls of my older articles.

Suffice to say, when I first wrote about the Changhua Martial Arts Hall, it would have only been my second or third attempt to write about one of these historic buildings, and the lack of detail provided about the building has become somewhat of an embarrassment over the years. So, just like my articles about the Daxi Martial Arts Hall, Longtan Martial Arts Hall and Tainan Martial Arts Hall, I’ve also updated this one as well in order to better tell its story. There are of course other reasons why I feel like it’s important to update these articles as (especially in this case) a number of changes have taken place at the hall in the years since I published the original article, and because there is renewed interest as of late in their existence, since the number of Martial Arts Halls that have been restored and opened up to the public continues to grow.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and largest of Taiwan’s remaining Martial Arts Halls, the nearly ninety year old Changhua Martial Arts Hall conveniently sits in the downtown core of Changhua at the base of Bagua Mountain (八卦山). It is located close to not only the local government buildings and police precincts, but also a number of tourist attractions, most notably including the Changhua Confucius Temple (彰化孔廟), the Jieshao Shrine (節孝祠), and a number of other temples and Japanese-era buildings. Like all of its contemporaries that remain in Taiwan today, the Changhua Martial Arts Hall was constructed in a strategic location close to local government and police buildings as well as Changhua High School (彰化高中), Zhongshan Elementary school (中山國小) and Changhua Girls Senior High School (彰化女中), all of which were constructed by the Japanese during the colonial era. While it was considered ‘strategic’ for the colonial powers at the time, today the location of the hall is quite convenient for any of us who’d like to visit as it is located within the downtown core of Changhua City, within walking distance from both the Changhua Train Station and Changhua Bus Station. Visiting the historic city today, you’ll be able to easily walk around town enjoying quite a few of its tourist attractions, all of which are a short distance from each other, all the while snacking on some of the amazing cuisine that the city is known for.

That being said, despite the ever increasing number of historic attractions within the city, Changhua itself unfortunately fails to attract as many tourists as its neighbor, Lukang (鹿港), which is something that the local government has tried to change in recent years. Like many places around Taiwan, the Changhua City Government has invested quite a lot in the city’s heritage structures in recent years in order to increase the number of tourists visiting the area. The Martial Arts Hall has benefitted from some of that investment as there have been some significant changes to the building in the years since I originally wrote about it, most of which have been positive developments that make it a more attractive tourist destination!

As usual, before I start detailing the history of the building, if you haven’t already, I recommend stopping here and first reading my introduction to Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls, which provides an overview of the purpose of the buildings, their history and where else you’re able to find them around the country!

Link: Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣的武德殿)

If you’re up to date with all of that, let’s start!

Changhua Martial Arts Hall (彰化武德殿)

Similar to the other remaining Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan, the Changhua Martial Arts Hall only has about a one hundred year history, but don’t its age fool you, it has been an eventful century, and in order to better tell you about it, I’ll have to start with a bit of a backstory.

In my article about the Martial Arts Hall of Taiwan linked above, I explained that in 1895 (明治28年), the same year that the Japanese took control of Taiwan, the ‘Dai Nippon Butoku Kai’ (大日本帝國大日本武德會) was formed in Japan. Translated literally into English as the “Greater Japanese Martial Arts Society,” the organization held strong ties to Japanese government, and many of its instructors were former samurai who were dispersed around the empire, tasked with bringing martial arts training to the general public.

These days, taking up any Martial Arts discipline is pretty cool hobby, and part of my personal interest in the subject is due to my many years of studying Tae Kwon Doe back in Canada. During the reign of Emperor Meiji (明治天皇) in Japan however, the political climate was entirely different than it is today, and martial arts education was meant more as a propaganda tool to fuel nationalism and militarism.

With its headquarters located in the Japanese cultural capital of Kyoto (京都), Martial Arts Halls, known as ‘Butokuden’ (武德殿) or ‘Butokai’ (武德會) slowly started popping up all over the country, and by 1900 (明治33年), they started appearing here in Taiwan, as well. The first three of the halls constructed in the empire’s new colony were located in the northern capital of Taihoku (臺北), Taichu (臺中) in central Taiwan, and Tainan (臺南) in the south.

Over the first few decades of the Japanese era, a number of Martial Arts Halls were constructed around the island, coinciding with the development of Taiwan’s cities and towns. In 1920 (大正9年), the colonial government instituted a redistricting policy for the island that coincided with what was happening back in Japan. The newly established Taichu Prefecture (臺中州 / たいちゅうしゅう), consisted of more than 7000km² that encapsulated much of what we know today as Taichung City (臺中市), Changhua County (彰化縣) and Nantou County (南投縣). As the redistricting was taking place across Japan, the political climate was also becoming increasingly nationalistic, which led those in charge at the ‘Dai Nippon Butoku Kai’ in Kyoto to send a directive to the brass in Taipei (as well as the Governor General’s Office) to speed up the construction process of these halls throughout each of Taiwan’s prefectures, towns, villages and boroughs.

1945 US Army map of Changhua with the Martial Arts Hall labelled ‘Athletic Hall’

Thus, the 1920s and 1930s became an important period of time with regard to the construction of these buildings around Taiwan, with a total of about two hundred constructed across the island prior to the end of the Second World War. Prior to being upgraded into a city in 1933 (昭和8年), plans were made for a Martial Arts Hall to be constructed in Changhua, which was then known as Shōka-kai (彰化街 / しょうかかい). Construction started on the ‘Shoka Branch of the Taiwan Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai’ (大日本武德會彰化支所武德殿) in late 1929 (昭和4年), and was officially opened a little under a year later on October 18th, 1930 (昭和5年).

Classified as a town-level branch (支所 / ししょ) under the auspices of the Taichu Prefectural Martial Arts Hall (大日本武德會臺中支部武德殿), the Changhua Martial Arts Hall was one of the largest halls constructed within the prefecture, and today remains one of the largest remaining halls in the entire country, second only to the prefectural level Tainan Martial Arts Hall (大日本武德會臺南支部武德殿). As one of the halls constructed during the Showa-era, architects benefitted from a high level of development and infrastructure that earlier halls missed out on; In this case, the building was able to constructed with a fusion of Japanese architecture design and Western construction techniques that helped to ensure its longevity.

As is the case with all of the Martial Arts Halls constructed in Taiwan, the floor space of the hall was essentially split into two, with one side reserved for Judo (柔道場), while the other was for Kendo (劍道場). One of the cool things about these buildings is that they featured springs (彈簧地板) installed under the hardwood floor, which would have allowed the floor to better absorb the shock of people constantly being thrown around. Included with the construction of the hall was an administration building that either doubled as a residence reserved for the instructors who worked there or a clubhouse for members (more on that debate later) as well as a space at the rear of the building where members could practice Kyudo (弓道), the traditional Japanese martial art of archery.

In 1933 (昭和8年), shortly after the Martial Arts Hall was completed, Changhua was upgraded from a ‘town’ (彰化街 / しょうかかい) to a ‘city’ (彰化市 / しょうかし), ensuring that the Martial Arts Hall served a greater role, overseeing the operation of several smaller halls in the area, including the Erlin Martial Arts Hall (二林武德殿), one of the only other remaining halls in Changhua today. These plans were likely all years in the making as Changhua’s development allowed it to transform into a major hub for industry in central Taiwan.

That being said, as the political climate in Japan continued to shift into an even more militaristic one, just a few years later in 1936 (昭和11年), the infamous “Kominka” (國民精神總動員運動) policy came into effect in Taiwan. Often referred to in English as ‘Japanization’, the basic translation of the policy’s name meant to “make people become subjects of the empire”, which was essentially just forced assimilation. After the policy came into effect, the government enforced strict language policies, required citizens to take Japanese names, instituted the “volunteers system” (志願兵制度), drafting Taiwanese into the Imperial Army, required locals to take part in Japanese cultural and religious activities, including visiting Shinto Shrines, and of course, learning Martial Arts.

Link: Japanization | 皇民化運動 (Wiki)

Nevertheless, while the Japanese were attempting to brainwash Taiwanese citizens into becoming full-fledged and proud citizens of the empire, they ultimately found themselves on the losing side of the Second World War, bringing not only death and destruction to the main Japanese islands, but Taiwan as well, with bombing campaigns concentrated on military and civic institutions all over the island. In 1945 (昭和20年), the Japanese surrendered to the allies, and part of the conditions of their surrender was that they return any territory that they gained through war, which obviously included Taiwan. Shortly thereafter, control of Taiwan was (ambiguously) awarded to the Republic of China, one of the allied states, under the control of the Chinese Nationalists and Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣介石).

Some may argue that it was likely the result of the successful brainwashing of the Japanese, but the arrival of the Chinese Nationalists in Taiwan wasn’t exactly met with jubilation, and the heavy handed methods that the regime used to take control of Taiwan rubbed people the wrong way. On the other hand, other could argue that the people of Taiwan had more or less just had enough of being the colonial subjects of a foreign regime, instead wanting to achieve their own national self-determination. Whatever the case, the Chinese Nationalists weren’t very popular and a number of violent incidents took place leading up to the infamous 228 Incident (二二八事件). Making matters worse, the Chinese Nationalists were busy fighting a losing battle against the Chinese Communists in the Chinese Civil War that would just a few years later result in several million refugees fleeing China and coming to Taiwan. For the next few decades, the treatment of the Formosans worsened over what would become one of world’s longest periods of Martial Law, known in Taiwan as White Terror (白色恐怖).

Links: White Terror (Wiki) | White Terror Period (National Human Rights Museum)

Resenting anything to do with the Japanese, the Chinese Nationalists systematically destroyed pretty much anything in Taiwan related to Japanese culture or religion, which meant that almost all of the island’s Shinto Shrines and Martial Arts Halls were destroyed over the last half century. The few Shinto Shrines that were lucky enough to be saved, Taoyuan Shinto Shrine and Tungxiao Shinto Shrine, for example, were converted into Martyrs Shrines (忠烈祠), war memorials for fallen members of the Republic of China’s Armed Forces. In some cases, in lieu of a Shinto Shrine becoming a Martyrs Shrine, they may have converted one of the nicer Martial Arts Halls into one, and this is precisely what happened to the Changhua Martial Arts Hall, and is very likely one of the main reasons why it remains standing today.

Converted into the Changhua City Martyrs Shrine (彰化忠烈祠) in 1949 (民國38年), the Martial Arts Hall was saved from destruction, but over the years, a number of changes to the interior and exterior of the building made it somewhat unrecognizable to the way it originally appeared. With the building closed to the public for most of the year, the only part of the original hall that remained active over the next few decades was the residence to the rear of the building, which was used as housing for the staff working at the nearby police station.

For the next half century, not much changed with the building, but early in the morning on Tuesday, September 21st, 1999, disaster struck Taiwan - The 921 Great Earthquake (921大地震), the second deadliest earthquake in Taiwan’s recorded history caused massive damage around the country, with “2,415 deaths, 29 missing, 11,305 severely wounded, with 51,711 buildings completely destroyed, 53,768 buildings severely damaged, and a total of NT$300 billion (US$10 billion) worth of damage.” If you don’t really know all that much about the earthquake, I recommend taking a look at the link below as it is a subject that lingers in the collective consciousness of almost every Taiwanese citizen in their twenties or above today.

Link: 1999 Jiji earthquake (Wiki)

More specifically, given Changhua’s close proximity to the earthquake’s epicenter, the Martial Arts Hall suffered a considerable amount of structural damage. Fortunately, the local government applied for some funding from the national government’s earthquake rebuilding funds to have the building repaired. And in a move that still kind of amazes me, the proposal that was put together by the local government sought to have the building restored to its original condition so that it could become a historic tourist destination.

The funding request was ultimately approved and from 2002-2003, the Martial Arts Hall underwent a period of careful restoration that repaired all of the structural damage from the earthquake, and over seventy years of wear and tear. Shortly after the restoration of the building was complete, the Changhua County government registered the building as a Changhua County Heritage Building (彰化縣定古蹟), ensuring that the building would be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.

Sadly, it seems that how the building should be ‘enjoyed’ is still an issue that the local government hasn’t really solved.

The former residence/clubhouse constructed to the rear of the building, and later used to house the police at the nearby police station was likewise restored in 2018, with plans to have it rented out to a private enterprise. Soon after the restoration of the building was completed, yet another debate arose within the Changhua County government with regard to the future usage of the building. For its part, the government planned to seek out private partnerships for an ‘Operate-Transfer’ scheme to recoup some of their losses during the restoration process. These partnerships between the public and private sector, especially with regard to heritage buildings have become quite common as of late in Taiwan, and was a topic that I’ve written extensively about in the past. In this particular case however, some county councillors took exception to the company that was awarded the operation agreement from the government, as it was thought that specific kind of restaurant (probably hot pot or shabu shabu) could pose a risk to the heritage building.

If you’re interested in the topic, I recommend checking out the link below.

Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan

Finally, one of the last things I’ll mention about the history of the Martial Arts Hall prior to moving on is with regard to another debate that took place when the hall and the residence to the rear were officially reopened. I feel like it’s important to talk about this issue because it speaks to how much Taiwan has changed in the years since the Chinese Nationalists first came to Taiwan, and the maturation of the democratic society we enjoy here today.

With the buildings restored and ready to be opened on a more permanent basis as a tourist attraction, the local community started to question why the Spirit Tablets (牌位) from its days as a Martyrs Hall weren’t removed, especially since there was a more appropriate location to place them on the mountain behind the hall. Debate on the subject lasted for a while with many in the local community expressing their opinion, but eventually they came to a compromise where, instead of removing the tablets (which had been there for a lot longer than the Martial Arts Hall was officially a Martial Arts Hall), they would be covered up and out of sight except for on days of the year that are significant for the Armed Forces.

No matter what your opinion on the subject is, I can appreciate that civil society is able to come up with compromises like this.

Below, I’ll provide a brief timeline of events with regard to the Martial Arts Hall before I move on to describing its architectural design.

Changhua Martial Arts Hall Timeline

1895 (明治28年) - The Japanese Colonial Era begins in Taiwan and the ‘Dai Nippon Butoku Kai’ (大日本帝國大日本武德會) was formed in Japan in order to instruct ordinary citizens in the various Japanese Martial Arts disciplines.
1900 (明治33年) - The first Martial Arts Halls start to appear in Taiwan with branches in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.
1906 (明治39年) - The ‘Taiwan Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai is officially established’ (大日本武德會臺灣支部) with its headquarters (大日本武德會臺灣本部) located within the Taipei Martial Arts Hall.
1920 (大正9年) - Taichu Prefecture (臺中州 / たいちゅうしゅう) is officially established as part of the colonial government’s redistricting plan. The prefecture combined much of central Taiwan or the areas we know as Taichung (臺中市), Changhua (彰化縣) and Nantou (南投縣) today.
1920 (大正9年) - A governmental directive is made to construct Martial Arts Halls in each of Taiwan’s prefectures, towns, villages and boroughs.
1929 (昭和4年) - Construction on the ‘Shoka Branch of the The Taiwan Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai’ (大日本武德會彰化支所武德殿) starts in December.
1930 (昭和5年) - The munafuda (棟札) raising ceremony is held on June 22nd, with the official opening of the hall held later on October 18th.
1933 (昭和8年) - Shoka (Changhua) is upgraded from a ‘town’ (彰化街 / しょうかかい) to a ‘city’ (彰化市 / しょうかし) according to another redistricting plan.
1936 (昭和11年) - The Colonial Government’s “Japanization” or ‘forced assimilation’ policy comes into effect in Taiwan.
1945 (昭和20年) - The Second World War comes to a conclusion and Japan is forced to surrender control of Taiwan.
1949 (民國38年) - Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalist government retreat to Taiwan, bringing with them several million refugees displaced by the Chinese Civil War.
1949 (民國38年) - The Martial Arts is converted into the Changhua City Martyrs Shrine (彰化忠烈祠), a memorial hall for fallen members of the Republic of China’s Armed Forces.
1999 (民國88年) - The Martial Arts Hall is considerably damaged after the devastating 921 Earthquake, Taiwan's second most powerful earthquake in recorded history.
2001 (民國90年) - With funding from the Taiwanese government’s earthquake rebuilding plans, the local government puts forward proposals to have the building restored to its original condition.
2002 - 2003 (民國91-92年) - The building enters a year-long period of restoration.
2007 (民國96年) - The Martial Arts Hall is registered as a Changhua County Heritage Building (彰化縣定古蹟).
2018 (民國107年) - The auxiliary building, which was later used as dormitories for the police in the post-war era was restored and was opened up for bids by private enterprises to set up shop within the building.
2023 (民國112年) - The Changhua Cultural Affairs bureau claimed that the whistling pine trees (木麻黃樹) planted on the left side of the Martial Arts Hall had to be cut down due to damage caused by termites, a move that resulted in quite a few angry residents who thought more could have been done to preserve the trees.

Architectural Design

\Even though the Changhua Martial Arts Hall shares similar design features with many of the other Martial Arts Halls that remain in Taiwan today, there are some pretty special decorative elements that help this building to stand out from the others. As I pointed out earlier, the building was constructed in 1930, early in the Showa-era, benefitting from several decades of development, and a well-established construction infrastructure which ensured that the building would be able to withstand the test of time.

The fact that the building was able to withstand both the 1935 Shinchiku-Taichū earthquake as well as the 1999 Jiji earthquake, the two more devastating earthquakes in Taiwan’s recorded history says a lot about the care that was taken in its construction.

Front of the hall

Rear of the hall

For most, the date of construction speaks simply to the age of the building, but having spent a considerable amount of time researching Martial Arts Halls, it tells me quite a bit more - Having controlled Taiwan for nearly four decades by the time of the building’s construction, the Japanese had learned quite a bit about the hostile nature of Taiwan’s tropical environment and all of the buildings constructed during the latter stages of the colonial era were a reflection of that. Although the building was constructed in what would be considered ‘traditional’ Japanese architectural design, it was built with what is officially referred to as a ‘Mixed Japanese and Western Architecture with a combination of brick and wood’ (承重磚牆和洋混合風格) style of design. Essentially what this means is that it featured a mixture of reinforced concrete and bricks that helped to stabilize the building. The usage of modern western-style construction techniques differentiated the building from a lot of the earlier Martial Arts Halls which were constructed entirely of wood, and became a feast for the island’s notorious white termites (白蟻).

More or less a fusion of Eastern and Western architectural design, it’s important to note that the ‘western’ elements of the design were mainly focused on modern structural construction techniques and not the actual appearance of the building. As I mentioned earlier, the earliest Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan were constructed in a style literally translated as ‘Traditional Japanese Temple-style Architecture constructed entirely of wood’ (傳統日本寺院建築式樣), and I’d argue that the design here is a fusion of that style with modern construction techniques expertly infused within what we’d consider to be ‘traditionally’ Japanese.

Fortunately, one of the saving graces of traditional ‘temple’ design was that it was an architectural style that was heavily influenced by the designs associated with the palaces from the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) in China, which possibly also contributed to saving the building from being torn down by the Chinese Nationalists.

Now, let’s get into some specifics, which I’ll try to my best to explain in an easy to understand manner: The building is 390㎡ (117坪) in size, and as I have already mentioned is one of the largest remaining Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan. For both functional and practical reasons, the building was constructed on a concrete base, which was elevated above the ground. Likewise, the exterior was constructed with reinforced concrete and brick while the interior featured beautiful Taiwanese cypress.

On all four sides of the building, the elevated base has ventilation grills that allows fresh air to allow for some circulation, and preventing Taiwan’s humidity from wreaking havoc on the springs installed below the floor. The ventilation grills were also convenient in that they prevented pests from sneaking in, while also allowing repairpeople to crawl in to solve any issues that might have arisen. One of the important design features was the installation of a springs (彈簧地板) located underneath the floor within the base of the building. The cool thing about the springs is that they allowed the hardwood floor to better absorb the shock of people constantly being thrown around as well as helping to prevent injuries.

As was the case with almost all of the other Martial Arts Halls around the island, this one was also constructed using the ubiquitous irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造 / いりもやづくり) architectural design. Taking inspiration from the architecture that became common during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD) in China, ‘irimoya’ became an essential part of what we regard today as ‘traditional’ Japanese design. When you think of a traditional Japanese place of worship, be it a Buddhist temple or a Shinto Shrine, it’s very likely that they were constructed with this style, which is most easy identifiable by its massive hip-and-gable roof.

Link: Irimoya-zukuri (JAANUS) | East Asian Hip-and-Gable Roof (Wiki)

With this particular style of design, the most important thing to remember is that the base, or the ‘moya’ (母屋 / もや), literally translated as “mother house” is almost always going to be considerably smaller than the roof above it. The genius of this style of design is that the weight of the massive roof above is stabilized by a network of pillars and trusses within the interior of the building, which helps to distribute its weight evenly.

Traditionally this is achieved through a network of pillars and trusses within the interior of the building, but taking into consideration that this particular building benefits from modern construction techniques, the reinforced concrete base and the western truss system, which combines steel and wood, plays a major role in the stabilization of the roof.

Another area where the concrete base assists with the decorative and functional elements of the building’s design is with regard to the large rectangular sliding windows that the designers were able to add to all four sides of the building. The windows allow for a considerable amount of natural light and fresh air into the space during the day. In addition to the windows, the building features entrances at the front and on both the eastern and western sides, offering convenient access to the building, and natural air to flow through it on hot days, which in Changhua are quite common.

While the base, pillars and network of roof trusses are important aspects of the irimoya style, the most important thing is that they all work together to provide support for the star of this architectural style, the hip-and-gable roof (歇山頂). Before I talk about that though, I need to take a moment to remind readers of an important fact.

As I mentioned earlier, the government was tasked with assisting with funding for the construction of Martial Arts Hall across the island. They were literally being constructed everywhere, so it’s important to keep in mind that not all of them received the same amount of attention to detail and (more importantly) funding. On the hierarchy of Martial Arts Halls, the Changhua Hall would have been considered relatively important within Taichu Prefecture, so funding was made available to ensure that the design of the roof and its decorative elements were on par with other significant buildings, such as those that you can still see at either the Taoyuan Shinto Shrine or the Puji Buddhist Temple in Taipei.

Within traditional Japanese architecture, there are a number of styles of roof design that fall under the ‘irimoya’ category, but those most commonly utilized in the construction of Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls were a combination of the two-sided kirizuma-zukuri (切妻造 / きりづまづくり) and the four-sided yosemune-zukuri (寄棟造 / よせむねづくり), which work together to create a curvy 3D-like design.

To explain both of these terms in a simple way, the lower ‘yosemune’ section is the four-sided ‘hip’ part of the roof that both covers and extends beyond the base. The upper ‘kirizuma’ section is a two sided sloping ‘gable’, which is likened to an open book, or the Chinese character “入” which faces toward the front and rear of the building.

By this point most of you are probably already confused (or annoyed) by all of these terms, and now that I’m moving on to the roof’s decorative elements, I’m just going to make use of a diagram that I’ve designed to better explain each of the pieces I want to describe in what I hope will better assist you in understanding the complexity of the roof’s design.

Hiragawara (平瓦 /ひらがわら) - A type of arc-shaped clay roofing tile.
Munagawara (棟瓦 /むながわらあ) - Ridge tiles used to cover the apex of the roof.
Onigawara (鬼瓦/おにがわら) - Decorative roof tiles found at the ends of a main ridge. In the case of this Martial Arts Hall, the decorations differ from what you’d typically find on a Japanese-style roof, which is something I’ll speak to below.
Nokigawara (軒瓦/のきがわら) - Roof tiles placed along the eaves lines.
Noshigawara (熨斗瓦/のしがわら) - Thick rectangular tiles located under ridge tiles.
Sodegawara (袖瓦/そでがわら) - Cylindrical sleeve tiles
Tsuma (妻/つま) - Triangular-shaped sections of the gable on the roof located just under the ridge on either side of the hip.
Hafu (破風板/ はふいた) - Bargeboards that lay flat against the ridge ends to finish the gable.
Gegyo (懸魚 / げぎょ) - decorative wooden boards on the ends of the ‘tsuma’ in the shape of a hanging fish. Used as a charm against fire, similar to porcelain dragons on Taiwanese temples.

One of the most interesting aspects of the roof of this building, and one of the reasons I mentioned earlier as to how it differentiates itself from (most of) the other Martial Arts Halls remaining in Taiwan is that the ‘onigawara’ end tiles on the roof are decorated with either the word “bu” (武 / ぶ) or “Budō (武德 / ぶどう). For a bit of context, while I generally translate these buildings as “Martial Arts Halls” in English, they’re also often referred to as “Butokuden” or “Budokuden” (ぶとくでん) depending on how you romanize the word. Here in Taiwan, they are known simply as “wu dé diàn” (武德殿), or “wu dào guan“ (武道館) in Chinese, both of which essentially translate into English as “Martial Arts Hall.”

In most cases, the ‘onigawara’ (鬼瓦) end tiles on buildings like this depict fearsome beasts or mythical creatures that are meant to help protect the building, but on this building the words essentially help to identify it in a creative way - It’s important to note however that these end-tiles are recent reproductions of the originals.

Link: Budo | 武道 | ぶどう (Wiki)

Working in tandem with the elaborate design of the roof, the Changhua Martial Arts Hall is one of the few remaining halls that features a Karahafu Porch (唐破風 / からはふ), which is more or less just an intricately designed ‘covered porch’ that opens up to the main doors of the hall.

The ‘hafu-style door’ is a popular addition among traditional Japanese architectural design, dating back to the Heian Period (平安時代) from 794-1185, but it’s important to note that these porches are most commonly associated with castles, temples, and shrines.

It’s inclusion here gives the building considerable more prestige in its decorative design, and works with the roof to make it even more grand. The covered roof section of the porch was designed using the nokikarahafu (軒唐破風 / のきからはふ) style, which means that it flows downward from the top-center with convex-curves on each side.

Technical terms aside, if you look at the side of the Martial Arts Hall where the hip and the gable section of the roof meet, you’ll notice design similarities in the porch, which face outward, offering an even more complex 3D-like design to whoever is viewing the building from a distance.

Moving onto the interior of the building, as is the case with almost every Martial Arts Hall, the space is extremely basic as it is essentially just an open space that was evenly divided in two - one section reserved for Judo (柔道場) and the other for Kendo (劍道場). Located in the centre-rear of the room (directly facing the front door) you would have found a small space reserved for a shrine (神龕), and likely some decorative additions that would have been related to Martial Arts or the word “budo” (武道), in addition to any trophies or awards that were won by members of the dojo. Today that space is instead used to house the spirit tablets for the Martyrs Shrine.

Unfortunately, one of the changes that likely took place during the post-war era is that the ceiling was covered up to install electric lighting. In most cases within these buildings, the ceiling is completely open and we are treated to a view of the intricate network of trusses that help to ensure that the heavy roof is held in place. The sad thing about covering up the ceiling like this is that the windows installed within the triangular gables on the ends of the building have been rendered pretty much useless, but that’s modernity for you. Fortunately though, the Martial Arts Hall today (for the most part) keeps with tradition and remains mostly empty, which gives visitors a pretty good look at the simplistic interior design.

To the rear of the building you’ll find another Japanese-era building, which has also recently undergone a period of restoration, and is looking quite spectacular now that it’s opened up again. Oddly enough, within the resources that I’ve used for my research about the Martial Arts Hall, a number of terms have been used to describe the building, none of which really point to its original usage. Having researched these spaces for a few years now, it’s likely that it doubled as a residence and administration building provided to the staff of the Martial Arts Hall, and then later the police at the nearby police station. However, I’ve also seen it described as a member’s clubhouse which offered change rooms, restrooms, a classroom and meeting room.

Suffice to say, without solid confirmation from historic records, I can’t tell you for sure, but looking at the interior design of the house, both of these possibilities remain quite likely.

Floor plan for the auxiliary building next to the hall

The building is a traditional Japanese-style wooden home that has been elevated off of the ground to protect it from termites. Similar to the architectural design of the Martial Arts Hall, it follows the the irimoya architectural design, with a roof that features a mixture of the kirizuma and yosemune styles mentioned above. However, even though the roof has a hip-and-gable design, and is arguably a lot more decorative than most of the historic dormitories that you’ll find in Taiwan today, it is considerably more subdued in comparison to the larger building next door.

The roof also extends a little further beyond the base of the building in sections with an attached copper rain-guard (雨庇) covering the veranda, entrance and restrooms. Speaking of the veranda, one of my personal favorite spaces within these historic Japanese-era buildings are the beautiful ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ) sliding door verandas. An essential aspect of traditional Japanese architectural design, most of the historic residences remaining in Taiwan feature at least one engawa facing the back yard or garden. In this case, the engawa features prominently on the front side of the building, making any visit to the interior quite enjoyable.

The building is currently leased out by the government and is home to a restaurant named ‘San Shih Gathering’ (三時之聚), which offers guests simple meals, snacks and beverages in a beautiful setting. Unfortunately, on my last visit, the restaurant wasn’t open, so I’ll have to update this space with more photos and information about the building once I have a chance to visit again. From the photos I’ve seen on social media, the interior space has been utilized in a careful way that allows guests to enjoy the sliding glass doors, which offer really nice views of the Martial Arts Hall and the (former) garden area to its rear. The interior space is almost completely lit by natural light during the day and makes for a great spot to enjoy a cool drink on a hot day.

Link: 三時之聚-彰化武德殿 (Facebook)

The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, but open every other day of the week from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

The Martial Arts Hall itself however is a bit of an enigma as to when it is actually open as it seems like the local government can’t really figure out what to do with it. Nevertheless, even if the building isn’t open when you visit, you’re not really missing out on that much inside as the beauty of the building is mostly on the outside.

If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you stop by to check it out!

Getting There

Address: #45 Gongyuan Road, Changhua (彰化市公園路一段45號)
GPS: 24.077150, 120.546090

Located a short distance from both the Changhua Train Station (彰化車站) and the Changhua Bus Terminal (彰化客運站), the Martial Arts Hall, and many of the city’s other important tourist attractions are more or less a short walk from each other. In fact, every Chinese-language tourist article that I’ve seen regarding the Martial Arts Hall only provides walking directions.

The downtown core of the city is perfectly walkable and if you’re arriving by train or bus and want to visit some of the city’s historic sights, you’ll be happy to know that they are all quite close to each other. Much like Tainan, the beauty of Changhua is best experienced on two feet, and you will have most certainly missed out on most of it if you’re sitting in a car.

So, if you’re driving a car or a scooter, I recommend finding a parking spot and getting rid of your car for the duration of your visit.

The great thing about Changhua is that you’re able to experience it’s history (and more importantly amazing food) in every little alley in the city, so if you take the time and pay enough attention you’ll be able to learn quite a bit - and eat extremely well in the process.

Car / Scooter

If you’ve driven to Changhua and would like to visit the Martial Arts Hall and some of the other attractions within the downtown core of the city, getting there is quite easy if you input the address or the GPS coordinates provided above into your car’s navigation system or Google Maps.

However, I would caution that the downtown area of the city features quite a few narrow roads that makes traffic quite congested at times. As I mentioned above, you’re probably better off walking, so find a place to park your car or scooter nearby. Despite the traffic being quite notorious in the downtown area, there are more than a dozen parking lots in the area, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a safe place to park.

I had considered listing each of the parking lots available here, but a quick look at Google Maps displays far too many to list, so I don’t think you’ll have much trouble finding a spot without a specific recommendation from me this time.

Public Bus

While I do highly recommend walking around the city when you’re there, you’ll also find that there is a bus stop next to the Martial Arts Hall where you’ll be able to make use of some of the city’s public transport. The number of routes that serve the area are limited, but if you don’t really feel like walking around, some of the routes linked below may help out.

County Council Bus Stop (縣議會站)

Changhua Bus #18 (彰化客運18路) - Changhua Bus Station - Baguashan (彰化-八卦山)
Changhua Bus #6911 (彰化客運6911路) - Changhua - Liugu Road (彰化-六股路)
Changhua City Bus 2 (彰化市公車2路) - Changhua - Changhua Train Station Circle Route

The Changhua Martial Arts Hall is one of the largest and most beautiful of the remaining Martial Arts Halls left in Taiwan. The nearly ninety-year old hall sits conveniently within the downtown core of Changhua at the base of Bagua Mountain (八卦山), and is close to a number of the city’s other important destinations, including the Changhua Confucius Temple (彰化孔廟), Changhua Mazu Temple (彰化天后宮), etc. If you are visiting the city, there are quite a few interesting places that you’re able to check out within walking distance of the train station, so I recommend taking some time prior to your visit to map out a list of destinations, and places to eat as the city is also home to quite a few of its own famed dishes.