National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was completed in 1972 and designed by the important domestic modernistic architect, Wang Da-hong. In 2019, it was designated as a municipal historic building. In memory of the 2nd anniversary of Mr. Wang Da-hong’s death, National Dr. Sun Yat-sen holds “A Guided Tour to Wang Da-hong’s Historic Buildings” and arranges the visits to the buildings designed by Wang Da-hong at Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, and National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to experience his design concepts and architectural beauty. Today (June 14) the special guided tours are arranged to Academia Sinica in the morning and to National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in the afternoon, and the latter also opens its Auditorium for a visit.
National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is one of the most representative public buildings after Taiwan’s Restoration, integrating the western modernistic architectural techniques and the architectural spirit with the traditional Chinese cultural elements. The building shows the sublimity, simplicity, momentum, and magnificence. Mr. Wang’s careful design can be found in the characteristics including the beauty’s rails along the circular outdoor corridor, the cornice style of the roof, the meticulous terrazzo of the colonnades, and the indoor rails. The Auditorium located at the center of the building was planned to be the major gathering space. The ceremonies of Golden Bell Awards and Golden Horse Awards take place here. At present, it has become the important domestic venues of art and cultural performances. Generally, the Auditorium can only be accessed by the audience with a ticket when the large performances are held. This time, it is open to the visitors of the guided tours for free so that they can appreciate the interior architectural structure of the Auditorium at a close distance. The audience seating area extends from the first floor to the fourth floor without any pillar to block the view. There are 2,518 seats in total. The participants of the guided tour are deeply impressed by Mr. Wang’s architectural aesthetics.
Director of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Liang Yung-fei, said Mr. Wang was requested by his father to stay in Taiwan after completing his studies abroad. Even though the political atmosphere at that time in Taiwan caused some hindrance to Mr. Wang’s ideal, he still had his insistence, exerted his potential, created the architectural aesthetic value, left the precious assets, and exhibited his love for the country. Director Liang further said in the future the guided tours and exhibitions about Wang Da-hong’s architecture will be held on a larger scale. There are four meanings of the guided tours: First is to read a man’s life journey and experience. Second is to read the architectural beauty of the historic buildings. Third is to read culture and history, that is, the stories of a building’s construction and its interaction with the place, the people, and the happenings. Last is to read other’s life and enrich personal life. In the future, the hall will continue to cultivate more outstanding volunteer guides and little guides. Let the historic buildings tell their cultural and historical stories. The design planning in National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall’s interdisciplinary value-adding program will also resume Mr. Wang Da-hong’s design concept. The reflective pond in front of the building has the meaning of a mirror and the humble self-reflection. The trees and lawns of Chungshan Park will also be kept for the outdoor concerts in the future, where the audience can listen to music on the lawns and in the tree shades, appreciate the yellow-tile building of the hall, and enjoy the time of getting together with family at the same time.
Wang Da-hong’s ancestral home was in Guangdong. He was born in Beijing and studied elementary and high school in Suzhou. Graduating from Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, in the UK and Harvard Graduate School of Architecture, he was the classmate of the famous architect, Ieoh Ming Pei (designer of Louvre Museum, Paris) and taught by the modernistic master, Walter Gropius. In 1952, he moved back to Taiwan and established Da Hong Architect Office the next year, focusing on the work of architectural design and endowed with the honorable title of an “architect poet.” He passed away on May 28, 2018. With the traditional Chinese cultural literacy and western architectural training, he integrated the Chinese and western characteristics in the famous buildings designed by him, including National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Academia Sinica, and several buildings of National Taiwan University.
National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall holds “A Guided Tour to Wang Da-hong’s Historic Buildings,” combining the related books and films of Wang Da-hong and the interpretation of the professional guides and inviting the public to enjoy the beauty of Wang Da-hong’s architecture together. There are three more activities: the guided tour to National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and to Academia Sinica on July 11 and the guided tour to National Taiwan University on July 18. To maintain the quality, the vacancies are limited. As the citizens actively sign up for the activity, the hall specially adds more vacancies. Welcome to participate. For more information, please visit the official website of the hall www.yatsen.gov.tw or the website “Read Taiwan” of Ministry of Culture https://worldbookday.culture.tw/home/zh-tw/activity/38248 or call (02)2758-8008, ext. 725, 723.