After Taichung's upgrade to municipality yesterday, the nearly 100-year-old City Hall Building, which was constructed during the Japanese colonization, will be turned into an Art and Culture Center to keep serving the public in a different way.

Taichung City Deputy Mayor Shiao Chia-chi worked at Taichung Prefecture for two decades, and knows the building better than anyone.

The wood-paneled interior features large, criss-crossing columns, while words from the era of Japanese colonialism can be found painted on the ceiling. This is the so-called "cat corridor," which was used for maintenance and repairs.

This window was used as a look-out to prevent enemy attacks, while farther down the tunnel we find a narrow space that leads directly to the underground escape route used by officials during emergencies.

This hidden document room, which has never been open to the public, is one of the Baroque structure's many secrets.

The building was constructed in 1912 and officially named a site of historical significance in 2006, and bore witness to the development of central Taiwan.

It will be decommissioned when the Taichung City Government moves to its new home, and turned into an administrative center or art and cultural park in the future.

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