Tamsui Little White House: A Historical Building Tour & Photography Spot Overlooking the Tamsui River

Tamsui Little White House: A Historical Building Tour & Photography Spot Overlooking the Tamsui River

Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City

Sightseeing

Tamsui can be said to be Taiwan's town of historical sites. In addition to Fort Santo Domingo, Tamsui Hobe Fort, the British Consulate, and Mackay Cemetery, there is also the Little White House that we will introduce this time.

The "Former Tamsui Customs Office Residence," also known as the Little White House, was built in 1870 and is located in Puding, Tamsui District, New Taipei City. It was the official residence of the Tamsui Customs Office during the Qing Dynasty and is also known as the "Puding Western-Style House." In 1997, it was designated as a third-class historic site by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China and is now a historic site designated by New Taipei City.

In 1996, the Directorate General of Customs of the Ministry of Finance decided to scrap the Director's residence and rebuild it into employee housing, which triggered the so-called "Save the Little White House" campaign. With the strong efforts of Tamsui gentry and experts and scholars, the Tamsui Township Office of Taipei County believed that the Little White House had historical significance and preservation value, and submitted a historic site survey form requesting that the Little White House be listed as a historic site, thus preserving this white building with historical significance.

The view outside the building is great, facing the Tamsui River and overlooking Guanyin Mountain. You can have a lot of fun just taking pictures outdoors.

The park was actually rebuilt into its current appearance in 2004 and is open to tourists.

The interior space has Western-style layouts such as a master bedroom, study and office, and a banquet hall.

In addition to Chinese, the introduction also includes English, Korean, and Japanese, so that foreign friends visiting the park can clearly understand the history of the historic site.

In the later stages of World War II, the building was actually abandoned and deserted, and was called a "haunted house" by the students in the neighborhood at the time. It was later rebuilt into its current appearance and has become a popular place for many influencers and wedding photos.

『Little White House

Address: No. 15, Zhenli Street, Tamsui District, New Taipei City
Opening hours: 09:30~17:00
(Extended opening until 18:00 on holidays)
Closed: The first Monday of every month
(Open as usual on national holidays, closed the following day), Lunar New Year's Eve, the first day of the Lunar New Year, government-announced natural disaster days when work is suspended, and other necessary closing days will be announced separately. (Activity information can be found on the Tamsui Historical Museum)

Published in 2022