Wistaria Tea House
Encyclopedia
Wistaria Tea House the Wisteria House, or Wistaria House is a well-known and historically important teahouse located in the Daan District, of Taipei
, Taiwan
. The establishment is situated in a Japan
ese-style wooden house built in the 1920s on Xinsheng South
Road. The teahouse is named after the three wisteria
vines planted in the front courtyard forming a shaded area leading to the entrance of the building. The teahouse, with its circa 1930s decor, was reopen to much fanfare after a long needed renovation in 2008.
The teahouse was used during the filming of Eat Drink Man Woman
.
under Japanese rule
prior to 1945 and became government dormitories under the Republic of China
administration in 1950. The building became a teahouse and gained its present name in 1981 and was meeting place for political dissidents such as Lei Chen
(雷震) fighting for a democratic Taiwan during the 1980s. Since then, Wisteria House has been and continues to be a favored meeting place for Taipei literati, artists, and academics. It has since been designated as a historic monument by the Taipei government in 1997 and operation of the teahouse was turned over to the Wistaria Cultural Association by the Taipei City Cultural Bureau.
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The establishment is situated in a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-style wooden house built in the 1920s on Xinsheng South
Xinsheng Road
Xinsheng Road is a major arterial in Taipei, Taiwan, connecting the Da'an District in the south with the Zhongshan and the Shilin districts in the north...
Road. The teahouse is named after the three wisteria
Wisteria
Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...
vines planted in the front courtyard forming a shaded area leading to the entrance of the building. The teahouse, with its circa 1930s decor, was reopen to much fanfare after a long needed renovation in 2008.
The teahouse was used during the filming of Eat Drink Man Woman
Eat Drink Man Woman
Eat Drink Man Woman is a Taiwanese film directed by Ang Lee and starring Sihung Lung, Yu-wen Wang, Chien-lien Wu, Kuei-mei Yang. Many of the cast had starred in Ang Lee's previous film, The Wedding Banquet with Sihung Lung and Ah Lei Gua once more playing central elderly figures, and Winston Chao...
.
History
The house served as a residence for the Governor-General of TaiwanGovernor-General of Taiwan
The position of Governor-General of Taiwan existed when Taiwan and the Pescadores were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945.The Japanese Governors-General were members of the Diet, civilian officials, Japanese nobles or generals...
under Japanese rule
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
prior to 1945 and became government dormitories under the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
administration in 1950. The building became a teahouse and gained its present name in 1981 and was meeting place for political dissidents such as Lei Chen
Lei Chen
Lei Chen was an early leading figure in the movement to bring fuller democracy to the government of Taiwan, the non-Communist nationalist Republic of China....
(雷震) fighting for a democratic Taiwan during the 1980s. Since then, Wisteria House has been and continues to be a favored meeting place for Taipei literati, artists, and academics. It has since been designated as a historic monument by the Taipei government in 1997 and operation of the teahouse was turned over to the Wistaria Cultural Association by the Taipei City Cultural Bureau.