Department of Cultural Affairs

Taipei boasts the greatest number of tangible cultural assets in all of Taiwan, with a rich array of historical memories resting in the city’s old houses. Built from the bricks of everyday life and stories, these structures have painted the city’s vibrant gradient over the past century, leaving deep imprints of lives across generations. 

This year’s Taipei Heritage Day (臺北古蹟日) coincides with the 140th anniversary of the founding of Taipei City. The public is invited to embark on a journey through time, exploring the city’s 140-year history through guided tours, photography salons, craft experiences, themed lectures, and more, capturing the evolving historical landscape and creating their own stories of the city.

The highly acclaimed Old House Time Tunnel (老房子時光隧道) guided tours, one of the few heritage-day activities in Taiwan that allow the public to enter old house restoration sites, will also run this year. In collaboration with cultural asset restoration teams, 15 time tunnels with different themes will showcase Taipei’s work in cultural asset restoration and reuse. The tours will also include dining and unique hands-on experiences, where participants can experience the splendid revival of old house spaces firsthand.

In celebration of the 140th anniversary of the founding of Taipei City, this year’s Heritage Day will focus on Taipei City, using the idea of the city to tell historical stories. The Century Tour of Taipei Prefecture City (臺北府城的百年巡禮) themed route will challenge participants to visit the four ancient city gates, retracing life within and without the old city walls. Guided by experts, participants will appreciate the architectural evolution of Taipei’s city gates, from the Qing Dynasty Minnan style to the Northern Palace style. The features of the gates reflect how each generation imagined the city and serve as a lens through which we can view the city’s history today.

To capture the beauty of old houses and immortalize their stories, the Old House Photography Salon Workshop (老房子攝影沙龍工作坊) will feature photography experts teaching techniques and guiding participants around heritage sites, where they will use the magic of light and shadow to capture authentic human landscapes, exploring the many possibilities of photography and heritage preservation. 

Participants can submit images taken during the event to the Old House Image Contest (老房子影像徵件比賽), which will select 48 winners for cash prizes totaling NT$200,000. The winning works will be exhibited in Taipei’s heritage spaces. Fans of photography, old houses, and history are encouraged to explore Taipei’s streets through their lenses, capturing the city’s temporal flow.

How can we depict a city’s outline through its evolving history? The Taipei City Themed Lecture × Craft Experience (臺北城主題講座× 工藝體驗), a special event celebrating Taipei’s 140th anniversary, will act as a guide through the changing and dynamic visions of the city. Participants will explore different perspectives across various eras, taking a comprehensive view of Taipei’s century-long development and evoking the everyday lives of its residents from years past. 

The themed lectures will cover intriguing topics such as Taipei Prefecture City, urban development, Qing Dynasty traditional architecture, railways, and industries. Local historians and professional architects involved in restoration projects will share insights, offering a glimpse into the historical layers of Taipei. The companion craft experience will allow participants of all ages to become heritage restoration artisans, practicing traditional crafts passed down through the centuries. At Hsuehhai Academy, they will learn temple painting techniques and special processes such as plastering and gilding, and take home their handcrafted traditional art pieces at the end of the event.

This year’s Heritage Day also introduces an event handbook that details the 15 guided routes and series of activities and also documents the restoration processes being carried out on Taipei’s cultural assets this year. It includes insights into the restoration of Beimen (Taipei North Gate), Chen Tian-lai Residence, and Guangfu Building at Taipei First Girls’ High School, with special interviews with restoration architects discussing modern techniques used to preserve heritage sites and historic buildings. 

In addition, the handbook is published in collaboration with various heritage sites across Taipei, offering exclusive discounts to those who visit the sites with a hard copy of the handbook on Taipei Heritage Day (臺北古蹟日). 

We look forward to the 2024 Heritage Day series, and invite the public to explore the 140-year time tunnel of Taipei’s development and discover the historical textures embedded in the city. As autumn approaches, why not stroll through Taipei’s neighborhoods with friends to experience the cultural energy accumulated over 140 years and create a personal impressions of the city through the interplay of space and time?

▍ 2024 Taipei Heritage Day (臺北古蹟日)

Date: August to December 2024

See official websites and social media pages for event updates.