09 Former Garrison Hospital Beitou Branch—Xiangyang Heart Garden
In 1896 (Meiji 29), Fujita Tsuguakira, head of the Taiwan Defense Forces Medical Corps, founded the Army Sanatorium. Japanese troops used the Beitou hot springs to treat soldiers suffering from chronic illnesses and war wounds. With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, wounded soldiers from the Liaodong Peninsula were sent here to recover and ease their physical and emotional trauma in the therapeutic steam of the geothermal springs. The military believed that both war wounds and homesickness required rest and recuperation, which led them to choose the tranquil, spring-rich Beitou as a healing retreat.
The hospital was built to follow the slope of the hill, with structures arranged along the contour lines. Originally a complex of buildings designed to create a quiet, restorative environment, today only one structure at the entrance remains fully intact, a vital witness to the site’s layered history.
The remaining Japanese-era building on the grounds, formerly known as Xiangyang Academy, is one of the oldest extant Japanese-era hospital buildings in Taiwan still in use for medical purposes. The wooden structure features finely crafted weatherboards, which protect against the elements and also give the building a simple, elegant aesthetic.
As one steps inside, the protruding entrance porch forms a semi-outdoor transitional space. Light wooden doors and windows subtly differentiate inside and outside, while the wooden windows filter soft light that plays across the interior. Decorative latticework on the corridor windows—meticulously preserved during restoration—showcases the refined craftsmanship of the Japanese colonial period. The latticed window frames cast patterned shadows on the floor, creating a calm and meditative atmosphere that echoes the serene healing environment of the hospital’s past.
Open wooden corridors run along both sides of the building, providing excellent ventilation and natural light. These walkways offered convalescing soldiers a space to rest while staying connected to the changing rhythms of nature. Once the most frequented areas for recovering patients, these corridors now invite visitors to wander quietly and reflect on the stories that played out within these historic grounds.
