Situated in Dadaocheng’s historic quarter, the branch of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was built on a piece of property donated by Li Chun-sheng, a prominent figure in contemporary Taiwan. It is believed that Li modeled the main church structure after Western houses of worship he found in China’s Xiamen area. As part of the Christian outreach efforts in Taiwan, the church installed a main structure in the early days of Japan’s Taisho period, reinforced with premium red bricks, excellent craftsmanship and a West-meets-East façade.
Christianity’s growing acceptance in Taipei from the late 19th to early 20th century is evidenced by the church’s key features, such as segregated seating, performed at a time when gender equality was unheard-of, and men and women were required to use the left and right entrances, separately. Despite its resemblance of its European precedents, this historic church has been praised as a rarity in contemporary Taiwanese architecture for its unique façade — with an exposed-aggregate finish that is half-Taiwanese, and half-European, stately yet welcoming — and thus designated as the City’s 100th historic monument. Among its little-known highlights is a musical clock, which comprises 25 bells of various sizes and marks noon (12:00 p.m.) with 7 different tunes on a rotating basis.
Dadaocheng Branch of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan 台灣基督長老教會大稻埕教會
