Yin Haiguang Former Residence

Yin Haiguang Former Residence, Taipei

Yin Haiguang Former Residence

殷海光故居· Historic site

About

In a quiet lane off Wenzhou Street in Taipei stands a Japanese-style wooden house with a green garden: the former home of Yin Haiguang, an important modern liberal thinker in Taiwan. The building is a city monument and carries weight in the history of Taiwan's democratic development. The house, from the Japanese era, was originally a staff dormitory of National Taiwan University. It is a typical single-storey Japanese wooden house with a simple layout and a plain garden. Yin moved here in 1956, and it was where he taught, wrote and reflected. In that era of authoritarian repression, it was in this house that he wrote many essays criticising the political situation and advocating democracy and freedom, which deeply influenced a generation of Taiwanese intellectuals. The house has been preserved intact. His study is kept as it was, with shelves full of books on philosophy and ideas. His manuscripts, letters and personal belongings are also on display, showing the scholar's simple way of life.

Translated and shortened by DealTaipei from Taiwan's national tourism database. Sources are on the terms page.

Getting there

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Historic site Da'an District, Taipei
(02)23645310 May be Chinese only

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Wikidata (CC0). Sources and photo credits are on the terms page.