Taiwan Electric Power Company President's Residence

During the Japanese colonial period, the Taiwan Electric Power Company was a crucial energy institution for the nascent industrial development of the time. Its head official's residence, built near the city walls, remains a well-preserved official residence today. After the retrocession of Taiwan, it was repurposed as the Central Guesthouse and later as the official residence for the Governor of Taiwan Province. This high-walled residence features a Western architectural style, with a tiled roof, white walls, and arched windows, evoking the charm of a Southern European villa from Italy or Spain. Many high-ranking official residences during the Japanese colonial period favored various European residential styles. This elegant Western-style house, complete with a garden, features an arched entrance foyer adorned with Greek columns on the interior. The staircase is of wooden construction, and the interior decoration is simple yet dignified. Originally, there was a Japanese-style room at the back of the house, which was later demolished. This architectural approach, with a Western-style front and an attached Japanese-style section in the rear, reflects the lifestyle of Japanese officials in Taiwan at the time. (Source: Taiwan Electric Power Company President's Residence)