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In 1872, Canadian Presbyterian missionary Rev. George Leslie Mackay arrived in Tamsui, launching his evangelistic path in Taiwan. The Mackay Memorial Museum was once his residence in Taiwan; designed and supervised by Mackay himself in 1875, it was built with materials from Xiamen into a Spanish-style white stucco arcade suited to northern Taiwan’s humid, rainy climate. Here Mackay married, raised children, and spent countless seasons with his Taiwanese wife, Chang Tsung-ming, until his death in 1901. Mackay’s contributions in Taiwan make the museum more than his home—it served as the base for his missionary, medical, and educational work, training countless Taiwanese educators and medical professionals; even the third Governor-General of Taiwan, Nogi Maresuke, paid a visit. During World War II the site became the “Anle Lodge,” sheltering and rehabilitating displaced women; after 1965 it functioned as faculty housing and offices for Aletheia University. To commemorate Mackay’s motto—“Rather burn out than rust away,” the spirit he lived by—the museum today displays his life story. Within this house, whose open door frames Guanyin Mountain and the Tamsui River, visitors can survey Rev. Mackay’s contributions to Taiwan’s evangelism, education, and healthcare.