Plum Garden

This was once the summer getaway home for famed Chinese calligrapher Yu Youren. Built around 1930s, the spacious courtyard is richly tree-shaded, and the Japanese-style wooden structure is in perfect condition. This site is an official city landmark building and there is a visitor information center on-site.

When first built, Plum Garden was meant to be a sumptuous private mansion. The mansion passed through the hands of one notable resident after another over several generations. Among these, the most prominent was Mr. Yu Youren. For a period commencing in 1952, Plum Garden was his summer residence and his hideaway from political lobbying and excessive social demands. Today people can still see the “Plum Garden” calligraphic inscription created by Mr. Yu’s masterful hand, found on the main-entrance pillar. The mansion is now an officially recognized historical building.

The Modern Sage of Cursive Script – The Life of Yu Youren

Mr. Yu Youren (1879 – 1964) is one of the great characters of modern Chinese history. An early Republic of China revolutionary, he joined the Tongmeng Hui (lit. United Allegiance Society), to fight against the Qing government. During this period he launched several newspapers, aiming to provide an outlet for the voices of discontent among his people. He is considered the father of modern Chinese journalism. Yu was also a fervent educator: he helped to found schools such as the Fudan Public School, the Shanghai University, and others. During his life Yu served as Governor of the Yangzi River region and Commander in Chief of the Shanxi Jing-guo Army, fighting for the unification of the nation. He was also the first Deputy-Director of the Republic of China’s Dept. of Transportation during the early Republican era. The Control Yuan was established in 1931 and Yu was nominated as its first director. During his service as the director of the control Yuan, he worked hard to set up a strong supervisor system, which won him great acclaim, as well as the respectful name “Father of the Control Yuan”.

A man of culture and art lover, Yu Youren was an erudite connoisseur of Chinese poetry and literature. The preservation of ancient artworks was one of his main concerns, and he purchased and collected many ancient inscribed and carved steles. His contribution to cultural preservation was invaluable. A master of the cursive style of calligraphy, Yu published the book Standard Cursive Script, his love and extraordinary talent for cursive script winning him the name “Modern Sage of Cursive Script”. Yu Youren died at the age of eighty-six, and buried in a cemetery in Yangmingshan National Park, next to the Balaka Highway. His integrity and dedication toward his country made Yu Youren one of the most outstanding figures in modern Chinese culture.

The Architectural Beauty of Plum Garden and the Appreciation of Restoration Work

Along the Beitou Creek we find Plum Garden, a two-storied house deliberately built to follow and merge with the sloping terrain. At Plum Garden, Japanese and Western architectural styling have been combined in a unique and visually satisfying manner. The top floor is built exclusively of wood in the Japanese style, with numerous door-sized windows, creating a simple yet classically elegant flowing atmosphere. The ground floor, an adapted air-defense shelter built in the Western style using steel and windows or apertures at the ground floor level led to the backyard and directly to an adjoining large-scale air-defense shelter, a superb example of the particular architectural developments that arose in response to the exigencies of war.

Apart from the elegant charm of the architecture, the arrangement and use of the space itself were also taken into consideration. Inside the house, there was once a bath where the host would enjoy the unlimited local hot-spring water supply flowing down from the surrounding hills. Through the windows, scenes of flourishing forest and lush, flowering vegetation greet the viewer past both the front courtyard and the backyard. From beyond the garden wall come the calming sounds of the murmuring waters of the Beitou Creek, flowing to the end of time.

The Construction of the Wooden Roof – “Western Roof Structure”

At Plum Garden a “Western Roof Structure” has been adapted to the Japanese wood-building method, emphasizing the “king post” and “queen post” truss system.

Lattice work of the Ceiling

There is a simplified lattice coffer on the ceiling here, a characteristic form of Japanese architectural embellishment. As the coffer was still intact, during restoration it was decided to secure and display it in its original place.

Verandah and Battlement-Style Wall

Due to the layout of the terrain on which the house sits, the verandah was built with upper and lower layers. The upper layer was built using the concrete and steel structure of the lower layer as its foundation. The upper and lower verandahs are convenient passages connecting the interior space to the open space of the building’s surroundings. Over time safety became an issue, because the steel structure and frames had been exposed to the weather and had slowly corroded. The problem has now been resolved and the verandah restored to its original condition. In addition, during the restoration of the battlement-style wall enclosing the grounds great effort was made to preserve its original features.

Japanese Mud-Plastered Wall and Black Roof Tiles

The enclosure wall at Plum Garden was restored using the same tools and methods as originally utilized. That is, wooden split-bamboo frames were built for the inside, filled with red mud and tamped, then the frames removed and the wall finished with lime plaster fortified with glutinous rice. This is the traditional “mud-plaster” wall. Beyond this, some of the original Japanese black roof tiles were found to be broken; they were replaced with new black tiles made using modern methods to preserve the roof’s consistency of style.

Interior Space and the Arrangement of Doors and Windows

In order to keep the wooden structure of the house and the classical touch of Japanese design, the rooms have been arranged into four display areas, maintaining the original layout. To protect the interior structure, the tatami floor has been replaced with a wooden floor. In each area the original doors and grand windows remain in place.