Taipei’s literary world
2004 Taipei Government designated Kishu An as a city historical site.
2011 Constructed a new auditorium under the guidance of Dept. of Taipei Cultural Affairs. Entrusting the development to a team literature experts and with the help of several foundations, Kishu An was renamed, “Kishu An Forest of Literature”.Kishu An continued to be a source of literature and artistic development for the community. In 2013 the Taipei City Dept. of Cultural Affairs started the renovation of this site, and after a year later it opened to the public May 25, 2014.
Kishu An Forest of Literature contains a new, modern, three story building to give company to the renovated architecture. There already has been hundreds of activities and events celebrating the arts, solidifying Kishu An as the heart of Taipei’s literary world.
Kishu An was first constructed in 1917 by the Japanese Hiramatsu family. Built as a traditional pavilion, it’s name, “Kishu An” comes from the Edo Period Japan’s “Kishuhan”, which is located in present day Wakayama prefecture. The Hiramatsu family chose this name and created a home away from home selling Japanese cuisine. In 1950, after the war, renowned writer, Wang wen-xing, took possession. His celebrated novel, Family Catastrophe originated right in these quarters.
During 1996 and 1998 there were two fires which almost entirely wiped out the main and neighboring buildings. Only the Detached House remained as a leaking mess -- a far cry from its glory days. At the end of 2002, NTU Graduate Inst. of Building and Planning partnered with “Tongan Cultural Forest Association” and South Waterfront Cultural Association to work together to protect and preserve the trees, local habitat and abandoned architecture. Their work restored much of the history hidden beneath the wreckage, saving history from obscurity, natural beauty from the harsh urban surroundings.
