Rose Historic Site_Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute

Tsai Jui-yueh can be regarded as a pioneer of modern dance in Taiwan, tirelessly promoting it. Born in Tainan City in 1921, she traveled to Japan at the age of 16 to study under Ishii Baku, who was known as the father of modern dance at the time, laying a solid foundation for her dance skills. Upon returning to Taiwan, she devoted herself entirely to dance, introducing the concepts of modern dance to the country. In Taiwan, Teacher Tsai created over 500 modern dance works, such as "Song of India" and "We Love Our Taiwan." She also incorporated diverse dance forms, including ballet, ethnic dance, and Taiwanese folk dance, earning her the title 'Mother of Taiwanese Modern Dance'. The Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute is a historic building, originally a civil servant dormitory from the Japanese colonial period. At that time, various grades of dormitories, mostly wooden Japanese-style houses, were built in downtown Taipei. In 1920, dozens of semi-detached wooden dormitories were constructed on Zhongshan North Road, and the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute was one of them. Its layout indicates it was a dormitory for Japanese 'hanninkan' (lower-ranking officials). In 1953, it became the home, choreography studio, and practice space for Tsai Jui-yueh, the Mother of Taiwanese Modern Dance, eventually evolving into a dance classroom. Although it was once damaged by fire, in 1999, heritage scholars and experts unanimously recognized it as the birthplace of modern dance in Taiwan. Thus, a collective decision was made for its resolute reconstruction, saving it from developers' covetous eyes and preserving the life of the historic site.