Five Decades of Photos of Public Structures in Taiwan

The large, modern Taipei Fine Arts Museum (1983) looks especially magnificent under a clear sky. (photo by Yang Yung-shan)

—“The Museum of Modern Art Opens” (February 1984)

In 1629 the Spanish built a fort of wood and stone at the site of present-day Fort San Domingo in Tamsui. They razed it when the Dutch drove them out, and nearby the Netherlanders erected this new fort made of stone and brick, with walls two meters thick. Though the Dutch called their bastion Fort Antonio, the historic site is today officially known by its Spanish name. (photo by Cheng Yuan-ching)

—“A Sight for Sore Eyes: Taiwan’s Historic Monuments” (December 1990)

Hengchun’s South Gate, built in 1879, is the most bustling of the town’s four gateways. Today its location is a fusion of old and new. (photo by Diago Chiu) 

—“A Visit to Historical Hengchun” (March 1994)

The cupola above the lobby of today’s National Taiwan Museum, housed in a Japanese-era museum building completed in 1915, is nearly 30 meters above the floor. Magnificent to behold, it boasts stained glass with an exquisite pattern and brilliant hues. The cupola has been preserved almost intact since the building’s construction. (photo by Tseng Heng-long) 

—“Witness to History: National Taiwan Museum” (July 2007)

Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building is a striking example of the “Tatsuno style,” named after Japanese architect Kingo Tatsuno. It mixes a Western Revival approach with a distinctive combination of red brick with horizontal bands of decorative white stone. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan) 

—“A Different Place and Time: Japanese Colonial Era Buildings in Taiwan” (March 2025)

Zhongshan Hall (1936) was an activities center for Taipei residents in days gone by. Boasting an eclectic modernist style, it was a new type of building that first appeared in modern democratic societies. (photo by Chin Hung-hao) 

—“A Museum for the Ages: The National Taiwan Museum” (February 2016)

The Chiayi Art Museum (2020) features a triangular glass box that links together separate structures built in 1936, 1954, and 1980. This blend of old and new lends new vitality to the old buildings while preserving their historic character. 

(photo by Kent Chuang) 

—“The Chiayi Art Museum: An Indoor Journey Through Time and Space” (March 2021)

As part of reconstruction following the Jiji Earthquake of September 21, 1999, Tannan Elementary School was completed in 2001 to serve the Bunun Indigenous people of the Sun Moon Lake area of Nantou County. It combines the domestic architecture of Bunun communities with the functions of a school, manifesting the spirit of the “new schools” movement. (photo by Hsueh Chi- kuang) 

—“Flowing: Building Taiwan the Beautiful—CCA Exhibition on Architecture in Taiwan” (August 2004)

Located in Bali, New Taipei City, the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology (2002) features an avant-garde design that challenges conventional views of public architecture. 

(photo by Zhang Suqing)

The Luce Memorial Chapel (1963), on the campus of Tunghai University in Taichung. 

(photo by Cheng Yuan-ching) 

—“Faces in Time: Eighty Years of Architecture in Taiwan” (November 1991)

Liudui Hakka Cultural Park (2011), Pingtung County. (photo by Jimmy Lin) 

—“A Bird’s-Eye View of Taiwan: Architecture” (December 2017)

The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (also known as Weiwuying), completed in 2018, was inspired by the local old banyan trees. Natural light shines in through light wells, creating an effect like the sun’s rays passing through treetops. (photo by Jimmy Lin) 

—“National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts: Think Global, Act Local” (December 2018)

The Taichung Green Museumbrary (2025) is a multifunctional cultural facility built around the idea of “a library in a park, a museum in a forest.” Comprising eight interconnected cube-shaped buildings, it features many openings, stairwells, and pedestrian bridges linking indoor and outdoor spaces across different levels. The design permits a natural flow of light and wind, and creates a sense of closeness to greenery, showcasing the character of a building that blends nature and the city. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)