Architecture
When the construction of the Museum in Waishuanxi, Taipei, was completed in August 1965, President Chiang Kai-shek inscribed the name of the museum as "Chung-shan Po-wu-yuan" on a tablet above the door in honor of the nation's founding father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The Museum was officially inaugurated on November 12 of that year.
Built in the architectural style of a Chinese palace, the Museum has four stories ornamented with corbels and colorful green tiled-roofs with yellow ridges. In 1967 and 1969, the Museum underwent two expansions, and in 1985 a major renovation of the galleries took place. The refurbishment began in July 2004 and concluded in December 2007.The first three floors in the Exhibition Hall are used exclusively for presentations of artifacts, while the fourth floor houses the Sanxitang Teahouse.
The construction of the Zhishan Garden, which lies to the left of the Museum, began in 1984. A fine example of traditional Chinese landscaping, the garden's picturesque pavilions and terraces, small bridges, ponds and winding paths offer a relaxing atmosphere. The beams and pillars of the pavilions are carved with couplets in elegant calligraphy that uplift the spirit.
The land on the right side of the Museum grounds was turned into the Zhide Garden with winding bridges over ponds and small pavilions. On cool autumn evenings, the fragrance of cassia and lotus flowers floats on the breeze.
The Mo-jeh Ching-she, the residence of the late master Chang Dai-chien, was donated to the Museum by his family in May 1983. It soon became the Chang Dai- chien Memorial Residence, and is open to public visit by appointment. Two streams traverse the grounds on which stands a shady thatched pavilion. Peaceful and isolated, the cries of birds can be heard in the distance. Inside the studio a wax figure of the master is found.