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This
autumn, visit Taipei County's Tamsui Historic
Sites
---Article
by Taipei County Government Translated by Sho
Huang
Tamsui (Danshui) is often considered
Taiwan's most beautiful town, thanks to its
rich historic background and scenery. With it's
well-developed tourism services, the town is
now among the island's most popular destinations.
Besides Tamsui's Old Street, Fort San Domingo--built
by the Dutch and later serving as the British
Consulate--is a historic site one shouldn't
miss along with two others--the Officers' Residence
in Tamsui (known as the little White House)
and Huwei Fort.
At Fort San Domingo there is
an exhibition about the fort and its architecture,
Tamsui's historical development, and a model
ship of Prins Willem, one of the ships built
by East Dutch India Company. The first floor
is an exhibition room for illustrating the lives
of British consuls who lived here. A series
of activities tied to the exhibition's opening
ceremony will be held on the second floor along
with the special exhibition, "When the
Netherlands came to Tamsui: Rediscovering the
Netherlands' History", which will run from
this November 10 to October 28 next year.
Fort
San Domingo
Fort San Domingo is square with deep foundations
and thick, strong walls--built with stones on
the outside and bricks on the inside--making
it a solid defensive structure. Although originally
designed for mainly military purposes, it was
slowly transformed into an office space. However,
traces of its defense-oriented origins can still
be spotted.
The British Consulate was mainly concerned with
international affairs, British citizens and
later, customs at Tamsui Harbor. As the trade
between Tamsui and the world grew, the consulate
grew in importance and took on more complicated
responsibilities. An officers' residence was
built on the east side of the fort in 1878.
The red brick walls, hallways and slanted rooflines
all exude a classic, warm aura, which softens
the hard lines of this military structure. Everything
seems to co-exist harmoniously on the hillside.
Bourne or Holland was the consul when the elegant
red-brick residence, designed by a British architect,
was built. The red bricks and the construction
workers might have come from Fukien (Fujian)
and all the rooms were equipped with fireplaces,
another British architectural convention.
Tamsui
Customs Officers' Residence (Little White House)
Historic background
There were two customs systems in use during
the Qing Dynasty for domestic and international
trade. The Huwei (Tamsui) International Customs
House was set up in 1862 and the building is
now a national historic site.
Special architectural features
The Tamsui Customs Officers' Residence is a
colonial building that features higher foundations
with a veranda, French windows and chimney.
The building and 11 arched gates face south,
toward the Tamsui River, with four other gates
facing east and west. The roof has four slanting
sections, a basic style designed to allow rainwater
to run off as well as to provide insulation.
There is also a fireplace, which was used as
a heat source and humidifier. Red bricks and
stones were utilized to build the foundation
while vents were constructed for ventilation.
The "Little While House" was once
on the brink of being torn down, as it was slowly
decaying. However, strong objections raised
by local Tamsui residents, groups, scholars
and historical experts convinced the Executive
Yuan of its historical heritage and unique architectural
characteristics in 1997, when it was classified
as national historical site.
Huwei
Fort
Huwei Fort, on the first hill at Wuhu base,
has a great view over Tamsui River and Guangdu
Bridge. The governor at that time, Liu Ming-chuan,
hired Lieutenant Max E. Hecht to oversee the
fort construction project. There are two forts
in Huwei, including the North Gate Key which
is the present Huwei Fort. However, the fort
has never seen any battles, so it remains in
good condition.
When
the Netherlands came to Tamsui: The Netherlands'
history at Fort San Domingo
Exhibition date: Nov. 10, 2006--Oct. 28, 2007
Exhibition location: Tamsui Customs Officers'
Residence, 2F
The 17th century saw European pioneering nations
like Spain and Portugal expanding their territory
by sending out ships to explore and occupy overseas
territory. Then the Dutch joined the game and
pushed the boundaries further to include Taiwan,
and eventually overtook Spain and Portugal to
become the dominant force in Asia. During the
whole process, the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie
(VOC), or Dutch East India Company, played a
critical role. The VOC sent fleets to Asia and
set up bases around Penghu, Tainan, Tamsui and
Keelung during the Ming dynasty in order to
conduct trade, which influenced Taiwan's history
and opened the door for the island to link up
with the world.
Fort San Domingo, situated in northern Taiwan
was the result of Dutch work. The fort is still
in great shape and is a reminder of the Dutch
empire's existence in Taiwan. It's also rated
among Taiwan's 300-year-old level-one national
historic buildings.
Tamsui Historic Sites is holding an exhibition
featuring the Dutch-in-Tamsui theme at the Tamsui
Customs Officers' Residence second floor from
November 10, 2006 to October 28, 2007. This
exhibition is another annual event following
the "Meeting the Spanish in Formosa"
exhibition, held during the opening of Tamsui
Historic Sites last year. Ancient maritime maps,
documents and crafts are included in the exhibition
to illustrate how the Netherlands in the 17th
century established its empire with its powerful
economic and military forces. The exhibition
also allows viewers to understand what an important
role Formosa as well as Fort San Domingo played
at that time.
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