青田七六 (Qingtian 76) — 1931 Japanese Colonial Faculty Residence in Daily Use

What It Is

An intact 1931 Japanese colonial-era faculty residence, now operating as a tea house, restaurant, and cultural space. Built for National Taiwan University (then Taihoku Imperial University) geology professor 足立仁 (Adachi Hitoshi), who conducted fieldwork on Taiwan's geology from this address. The professor's rock specimens, geological maps, and personal library survived into the restoration and remain on display. The building has been listed as a Taipei City municipal historic site since 2006; it was restored in 2007 by the South City Cultural Foundation under a Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs commission and has operated since without interruption.

Why It Is Unusual

Most Japanese colonial-era official residences in Taipei have been demolished, converted to government offices, or preserved as static exhibition spaces that cannot be entered. Qingtian 76 is operating. Diners sit in the original tatami-floored rooms — the engawa (veranda), the tokonoma (alcove), the raised zashiki floor. The smell of aged hinoki and wax, the garden through sliding shoji panels, and the low table formats are architectural features of the room, not reconstruction.

The geological angle is unexpected. Adachi Hitoshi drilled Taiwan's first modern geology borehole from the rear courtyard. A well on-site has been redesigned as a cross-section exhibit showing the Taipei Basin's sedimentary layers from today's river alluvium down to the Miocene basement rock, using the actual depth of the original borehole. This is a unique piece of public geodata. Rock specimens Adachi collected from Taiwan's mountain ranges, pre-war geology maps, and survey equipment remain displayed inside the building.

Below the main house: a basement sake bar stocked primarily with Japanese sake selected by the house sommelier, served in a room that opens into the garden at grade. The architectural contrast — a 1931 colonial residence above, a subterranean bar below — is the result of a 2007 construction decision to build the cellar rather than convert any of the original rooms.

Price Range

What to Order / Buy

The tea set during afternoon hours is the most direct way to experience the tatami rooms without the pressure of a full dinner service. The house selects Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs and occasionally Pouchong for the afternoon menu. Seasonal snacks served with the tea change monthly and are sourced from heritage Taiwanese ingredient suppliers — osmanthus jelly, yam cakes, preserved citrus. These are not available to purchase separately but the ingredient sourcing is typically noted on the menu card, which the staff will confirm if asked.

The geological exhibit booklet (produced by the Foundation; approximately NTD 150–200) is available at the entrance and covers the Adachi borehole, the Taipei Basin's formation, and the building's architectural history in English and Chinese. It is the only English-language primary source on this specific borehole history.

Practical Notes

The house occupies a quiet residential section of Qingtian Street, 50m from National Taiwan Normal University's south gate. No exterior signage visible from the street beyond a wooden gate and the municipal heritage marker. Enter through the garden gate on the right. Weekday afternoons are quieter than weekends. No minimum age. Shoes removed at entrance (lockers provided). Photography permitted in common areas; tatami rooms at discretion of staff. No standing exclusion on the Nov 2–6 trip window — open all five days (Tue–Fri, plus Fri 6 Nov).