The Tamsui Hall (exterior)

The Tamsui Hall was known as the Dengying Academy during the Qing dynasty. It is located in behind the Presidential Palace on Changsha Street (where the General Women’s Association is located). In 1880, the prefectural magistrate of Taipei, Chen Xing-ju, raised funds to build it. In 1898, it was changed to a meeting location for officials in Taiwan and was renamed the Tamsui Hall. In 1906, it was torn down due to some rotting beams and rebuilt into today’s two-story, foreign-styled building.
The Dengying Academy was the largest of its kind in Taiwan during the end of the Qing dynasty. The building boasted four rows of rooms. The first picture is of its exterior, showing a Pagoda of Respectful Words and a screen-wall hall. The second picture is of its interior. Hanging from the rafters is a horizontal inscribed board that says “The Literature Promotion Society.” This refers to a grand meeting called by Governor-General Kodama Gentarō in 1900, where all literati in Taiwan were asked to attend. A total of 150 scholars who achieved the ranks of juren (“recommended man”), gongsheng (“tribute student”), and linsheng (“granary student”) during the Qing dynasty attended. They toured all of the cities in Taiwan, the cost of which was borne by the government.