TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei City Cultural Heritage Review Committee approved the designation of Sifang Hospital (四方醫院) in Datong District as a municipal historic site for its contributions to local medicine and its connection to the 228 Massacre.
The hospital was founded by Dr. Shih Jiang-nan (施江南), who later became a 228 Massacre victim. According to historical accounts, plainclothes officers and soldiers posing as patients forced their way into the hospital and abducted Shih, whose whereabouts were never discovered, per Liberty Times.
Born in 1902 in Lukang, Changhua County, Shih was the third of four brothers. He graduated from Taipei Medical College in 1924 and later studied internal medicine at Kyoto Imperial University in Japan.
In 1935, he established a private hospital specializing in internal medicine and pediatrics. His eldest son later joined the practice, while his brothers opened related hospitals in Lukang and Chiayi, helping pioneer the development of private hospitals in Taiwan.
After Shih’s disappearance, his widow, Shih Chen Jiaotong (施陳焦桐), raised her daughters alone while pursuing studies as a pharmacist. Four later graduated from the National Taiwan University College of Medicine, while one graduated from the university’s Department of Pharmacy.
The review committee said the hospital is a well-preserved example of Japanese-era architecture near the Taipei Roundabout in Dadaocheng. The building features the area’s traditional four-pillar, three-window shophouse style, with three-story brick load-bearing walls, reinforced concrete floor beams, and a recessed third-floor balcony.
Officials noted that the Tianshui Street facade is covered with decorative brickwork, while the east-facing wall is plain brick. The southern section of the first-floor shared wall uses alternating layers of brick and stone, a construction style rarely seen in the surrounding area.
Ninety-one-year-old Shih Shu-chuan (施淑娟) attended the review meeting and shared childhood memories of her father. She said her father often treated poor patients without charge and sometimes invited malnourished patients to eat at the hospital. She also recalled her father's frequent promotion of public health education, including appearances on many radio programs, which she often accompanied.
At the time, Sifang Hospital was among the few privately owned hospitals in Taiwan with inpatient wards attached to the facility. Today, the Taipei location near the Taipei Roundabout is the only remaining Sifang Hospital.
Taipei First Girls’ High School Principal Chen Chih-yuan (陳智源) also spoke at the meeting, noting that all five of Shih’s daughters graduated from the school and later served as presidents of its parent-teacher association.
Chen said preserving the hospital commemorates both Shih’s achievements as an early Taiwanese doctor with advanced medical training and the building’s connection to the 228 Massacre.
Li Chao-jung (李昭容), a history teacher at Changhua Girls’ Senior High School, said the building represents an important chapter in Taiwan’s medical history. Li noted that during the 1930s, many doctors practiced medicine from their homes, unlike modern physicians who generally separate their residences from workplaces.
Of the 22 committee members present, 17 voted in favor of the designation, and five opposed it. The proposal passed with a majority vote.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) attended the meeting and personally expressed sympathy and gratitude to Shih Shu-chuan for her family’s contributions to Taiwan’s medical development and democratic history.
