臺北市政府文化局

Nowadays, Nishi Honganji Temple Square is a place for relaxation and tourism, featuring a Japanese-style bell tower that’s a great place to take photos. You can also enjoy tea and Japanese sweets at the Rinbansyo (formerly the abbot’s residence) next to the square.

Once upon a time, this plot of land measuring slightly over one-hectare was crowded with over a hundred corrugated-iron and wooden shacks. Over 340 households lived in this square, all sharing the same address—No. 174 Zhonghua Road. 

The residents came from various provinces in China and were soldiers and their families who followed the Chinese Nationalist government when it fled to Taiwan. Not enjoying the privilege of occupying government-allocated housing, the soldiers and their dependents erected illegal, hastily constructed houses on the square. 

At first they made do, perhaps thinking they were just passing through Taiwan and would soon return home, but over the next two to three decades, many of the immigrants started families and gradually accepted the reality of putting down roots in a foreign land. Later, with efforts towards urban renewal and beautification, the illegal structures were demolished and the residents dispersed, leaving no trace of the past.

On the morning of April 5, 1975, the Nishi Honganji Temple burned down. To this day, the cause remains unknown. Then, in 2011, Taipei City Government started restoring the historic site, partially reconstructing Japanese colonial era buildings belonging to the Taiwan Branch of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha and creating the present-day space for tourism and leisure.