aeeble

The predecessor of the Ethnic Music Hall was the Air Force Guesthouse and General Sun Li-ren’s residence. Covering a total area of 1,017 pyeong, it was built around 1937. Both in architectural form and spatial structure, it reflects the Japanese-colonial-era blend of Japanese and Western styles, making it one of Pingtung City’s important cultural-heritage buildings. After the Pingtung County Government took possession, it set itself the goal of promoting traditional music and converted the residence into the Ethnic Music Hall, dividing the space into an open-air performance area, a garden café, an artifact exhibition hall, a small recital hall, and an archive room, so that visitors can enjoy coffee and music in one place. The hall stands amid spacious, verdant grounds; the buildings themselves are historic wooden structures of fir, cypress, and lauan. When the site served as the Air Force Guesthouse and General Sun’s residence, the front two-story Western-style building entertained guests, while the rear Japanese-style wing served as living quarters; both remain in excellent condition. Because Pingtung City has few distinctive historic buildings, the residence was renovated into the Ethnic Music Hall to save it from demolition during urban development and to advance local music culture. The hall researches Heng-chun folk ballads, Man-zhou folk songs, Hakka mountain songs, and Indigenous ballads, strengthens cooperation with music associations, local history groups, university music departments, and cultural workers, and continues to encourage musical creation and the development of diverse musical styles.