Secrets of Keelung building unlocked by historian

2015-04-15

National Heritage-listed Keelung Harbor Building possesses an array of architectural features designed to bring good fortune and weather to the northern Taiwan port metropolis, according to a local folk historian.

“The pillars at the entrance of the hallway form a symmetrical design of reversed cloud patterns, symbolizing wishes for sunny days,” said Zhuang Yao-hui, a former Keelung Harbour Bureau employee knowledgeable in structures with strong cultural links to seafaring traditions.

“They are kind of good luck charm for a city renowned as a magnet for heavy rainfall.”

According to Zhuang, the pillars serve the same function as raindrop decorations dotting the eaves. “The architect Ryoichi Suzuoki from Japan embedded prayers in the building for clement weather, also a major factor in creating conditions for calm seas and favorable winds,” he said.

Completed in 1934, the early modernist building used to house the local offices of the coast guard, customs, port authority, postal service and state monopoly during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945).

Zhuang, a Tainan City native who moved to Keelung in 1969, said the administrative nature of the structure is the main reason for Suzuoki incorporating numerous symbolic elements into the design.

“The asymmetrical main staircase, rounded at one side and squared off at the other, is a metaphor for hard but fair,” he said. “It served as a reminder to the officials of the need to perform their duties professionally with respect for rules and regulations.”

Many of these finer architectural details remained hidden until the building opened its doors to the public in the 1990s, Zhuang said. It was only then he discovered the motifs of bats, butterflies and persimmon blossoms—all fortuitous emblems in East Asian culture—featured throughout the 81-year-old structure.

“Viewed from the sea, the building resembles the superstructure of a cargo ship about to depart on a voyage,” Zhuang said. “It embodies culturally and economically the city’s past, present and future.

“A genuine love for Keelung by those who have gone before is represented in this building, and it is the responsibility of the youth to keep this memory and legacy alive for generations to come.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=229271&CtNode=413)