Hsinchu City Guided Tour
Principal Xin Zhiping Former Residence
English Guided Tour
Introduction
Located on Dongmen Street in Hsinchu City, the former residence of Principal Xin Zhiping is known as one of the famous historic sites. The house, allegedly built around 1922 in the Japanese era, was an official principal's residence for Shinchiku Junior High School (Today's National Hsinchu Senior High School). After it was designated as a historic site in 2002, the Hsinchu City government proceeded with extensive renovations in memory of the achievements of Xin Zhiping, a great educator and late principal of Hsinchu Senior High School.
During the Japanese colonial period, the residence was constructed as a faculty dormitory for the official principals of Shinchiku Junior High School. Three years later (about 1925), the school moved to the present location and the original campus was taken over by the Shinchiku Girl's Senior High School (Today's Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School). The official principal's residence, however, did not move with the Shinchiku Junior High School. In 1945, Xin Zhiping came to Taiwan and was assigned as the principal of the Hsinchu Senior High School. He lived in the residence until he passed away in 1985. The residence was not renovated up to 2002.
The residence is a complex house, facing south, and is surrounded by a garden. It occupies 900 square meters and includes front and back buildings. The front building is a typical Japanese-style wooden dormitory. The renovation work was done in 2006 and it is now the preserved area, allowing visitors to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of the foremost educator, Mr. Xin Zhiping. The back building was originally a dormitory for school teachers, the renovation work of which was finished in 2007. Now it functions as the "Art and Culture Hall" and "Lecture hall," where a series of exhibitions and historical education lectures are held.
The architecture displays typical Japanese construction characteristics. One of the unique characteristics lies in the roof tiles at the ends of the main roof ridge - onigawara tiles (鬼瓦). Literally translated as "orge tile", onigawara tile ornaments depict a fearsome beast, which functions to ward off evil and to mystically protect the house.
Another external feature is shinkabe, meaning genuine or honest wall (真壁). The surface of the wall is, crossed with stout and pliant bamboo stalks, to which plaster is later applied. This construction method keeps the wood dry by letting living wood breathe despite heavy rain and high humidity.
The entire residence features traditional Japanese wooden structure, elevated slightly off the ground except for the porch, the kitchen, and the part of the bathroom. The interior sections include a porch, a guest room, a corridor leading to the living room, a master bedroom, a secondary bedroom, a study, maid's quarter, tearoom, kitchen, bathroom, restroom, and a storehouse. Even though the house is no longer in use, no rotten or deserted atmosphere exists. Instead, the peaceful simplicity and tranquility fills the air. Steeped in tradition for years, the residence may not guarantee a clean and uncluttered environment to visitors, but it can definitely assure a short break from the hustle and bustle of the big city.
