Yat-Sen Park

It was chosen as one of the Republic of China's parks commemorating him mainly because Sun stayed at a ryotei (a Japanese-style restaurant) on this site when he came to Taiwan in 1913. The restaurant was also where Governor-General Sakuma Samata met Sun to discuss politics. The site, at No. 46, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, in Zhongzheng District, is bounded by Civic Boulevard Section 1 to the north, Zhongshan North Road Section 1 to the east and Taipei Main Station to the west. The park covers about 3,025 square metres, and its main building is the Umeyashiki (Plum House), of about 50 ping (about 165 square metres). Named after the plum trees in its garden, the Umeyashiki was built in 1900 as a ryotei run by a Japanese proprietor. It was a well-known high-class restaurant in Taipei during Japanese rule, in the Beimen district, where governors-general, business magnates and public figures were guests, and geisha could be called to entertain at meals. It is a rectangular Japanese-style building roofed with old-style dark 'ideal' tiles. It is said that the restaurant once advertised dances by Indigenous (Takasago) geisha to attract customers. In the early 20th century it hosted Sun Yat-sen, Hu Hanmin and other prominent politicians. In 1907 the director Takamatsu Toyojiro, commissioned by the Government-General of Taiwan, made the film 'Introduction to the Real Conditions of Taiwan', which included the Umeyashiki's Japanese geisha performance by Indigenous (Takasago) women among its 20 scenes of Taiwan.

Translated and shortened by DealTaipei from Taiwan's national tourism database. Sources are on the terms page.