Taipei Travel

The Sushu Building is a former residence of Mr. Ch’ien Mu, a prominent figure in contemporary Chinese literature. In 1967, Mr. Ch’ien built this house in Waishuangxi and named it after the Wuxi (China) family estate where his mother lived. At the Ch’ien Mu House, every detail of the garden, such as the footpath lined with maple trees and rows of bamboo, is a result of years of tireless horticultural efforts by Mrs. Ch’ien.

Mr. Ch’ien was constantly giving lectures in Taiwan and has attracted a loyal group of followers, including college professors, who have visited the Sushu Building for 20 consecutive years along with their students on outings. An empowering and charismatic speaker, Mr. Ch’ien impressed his ever-packed audience with the amazing nuances of Chinese culture.

A few months after moving out of his 22-year residence at age 96, Mr. Ch’ien died; the Sushu Building was left untended for years until it was reopened on Jan. 6, 1992 by the Taipei Public Library as a memorial hall. It was then renovated by the city government in 2001. Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs renamed Sushu Building on Dec. 31, 2001 as “The Ch’ien Mu House” and handed it over to Soochow University for management. It was succeeded by the Taipei Municipal University of Education on Jan. 1, 2011.