Tianma Tea House

Traveler highlights

Tianma Tea House was founded in Dadaocheng in 1941 by James Chan Tian-ma, a benshi, or silent-film narrator. It became a café where Taiwanese writers and intellectuals gathered. On February 27, 1947, a confrontation over a crackdown on illegal cigarette sales took place outside the tea house, injuring and killing civilians and helping trigger the 228 Incident. The original building was demolished in late 2005. Today, Tianma Tea House has reopened on the third floor of the current building at the same address, displaying historical materials and photographs. The visit is not about seeing a reconstruction of the original interior; rather, the exhibits show how a city café became entangled in a major historical event. Once a meeting place for intellectuals, it is now a marker of collective memory. The displays connect everyday life in Dadaocheng with the opening events of 228, using one street address to recall the social climate and experiences of people at the time. The original structure is gone, but documents and images preserve its memory.