Department of Cultural Affairs

Lao Song Elementary School, formerly known as Bangka Public School, is located at No. 64 Guilin Road, in Wanhua District. It was founded in 1896 and was the first elementary school built in Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial Era.
 
At first, a temple was used as a temporary school building, and it was not until 1907 that a wooden school building was built on the current location. The original building plans show classrooms on three sides of the campus and a playground in the center, which was the most common layout for primary schools at the time.
 
However, by the end of the 1920s, the wooden school building was in a very bad state of repair. New buildings were constructed in reinforced concrete, still following the three-building layout.
 
Although the layout of the buildings was symmetrical, the classrooms were very spacious and well illuminated because of the semi-circular corridors, which was also a typical design feature of the era.
 
Since its establishment in 1896, the Lao Song Elementary School has nurtured countless outstanding and talented individuals from the Bangka Area who have made substantial contributions to society. The school has had a profound influence on the history of education in Taipei.