The Qinzhai Xingtai, located within the Taipei Botanical Garden, was announced by the Ministry of the Interior on August 19, 1985 (the 74th year of the Republic of China) as a second-grade historical site in the Taiwan and Fujian regions. After entering the main gate (the front gate), passing through the ceremonial gate, you can reach the main hall behind. The main gate and the ceremonial gate are connected with side rooms on both sides. Between the ceremonial gate and the main hall, there are side corridors and a central corridor on both sides, forming two connected quadrangle courtyards. As an official building, the architecture is simple, elegant, and solid, with a grand layout, spacious rooms, and a dignified and imposing atmosphere, reflecting the grandeur and power of the Qing official offices.
In 1884 (the 10th year of the Guangxu era), the Sino-French War highlighted the strategic importance of Taiwan. The following year, in 1885 (the 11th year of the Guangxu era), the Qing Dynasty's Empress Dowager Cixi officially issued a decree to establish a province in Taiwan and appointed Liu Mingchuan as the first governor of Taiwan, who also managed the affairs of the Fujian governor. In 1889 (the 15th year of the Guangxu era), Governor Liu Mingchuan, in response to the unfinished provincial administrative office, built an office building to serve as a temporary office for the provincial administration. This building was located in the northwest corner of Taipei City, which is now the site of the Taipei City Police Department, Zhongshan Hall, and the surrounding square.
In 1892 (the 18th year of the Guangxu era), to provide a place for the governor's office and the provincial administrative office to receive incoming officials and hold banquets, a smaller building was specially constructed on the right side of the office complex. This building, named "Qinzhai Xingtai," was more refined in materials and design compared to the provincial administrative office and was completed in 1894. In the same year, the Sino-Japanese War broke out in July. In 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, ceding Taiwan to Japan. At that time, the governor of the Qing Dynasty, Tang Jingsong, announced the establishment of the "Taiwan Democratic Republic" in May, using the governor's office as the presidential palace, while the "Qinzhai Xingtai" was used as the "Choufangju" to manage all emergency matters related to the war. This is the existing building now preserved in the Taipei Botanical Garden. In June of the same year, the Japanese army landed in Taiwan and captured Keelung. The president, Tang Jingsong, fled, and the presidential palace (governor's office) was burned down, leading to the fall of Taipei City. Prince Nishinomiya, a member of the Japanese imperial family, entered the city and used the provincial administrative office as his headquarters, while the "Qinzhai Xingtai" was used as the "Taiwan Governor-General's Office," which had seven governors working there.
Until 1919 (the 8th year of the Taisho era), when the new governor-general's office (now the site of the President's Office at the end of Kaiduan Road) was completed, it was moved and became the location of the highest power institution in Taiwan. In 1932, in order to build the Taipei City Hall, the Japanese government, considering the importance of historical preservation, decided to demolish the provincial administrative office and relocate it in three parts. One part was moved to the Taipei Zoo (Yuan Shan, now demolished), another to the Taipei Branch of the Jodo Sect (Shanzhong Temple, now demolished), and the third was relocated to the Taipei Botanical Garden (now preserved as the Qinzhai Xingtai).