Xinxing, Kaohsiung · Former home and publishing house
Ko Chih-hua Residence
First Publishing downstairs; the family's living room, study, books, and prison letters upstairs.
The second-floor living room
Tyler Cottenie · 2026 · Documentary photograph
Photograph by Tyler Cottenie for the Taipei Times, 2026.
Editorial useView source ↗
Three floors keep First Publishing and the family home together. The strongest room follows the fifteen years Tsai A-li ran the business and raised three children while Ko was imprisoned.
Ko Chih-hua was a teacher, the author of New English Grammar, the founder of First Publishing, and a White Terror political prisoner. First Publishing still occupies most of the first floor. Upstairs, the family sofas, wall-length bookcases, photographs, and calligraphy remain in the rooms where they lived.
The third floor keeps Ko's study and bedroom. Letters, recorded family accounts, and household objects tell how Tsai A-li taught school, ran the publishing house, and raised three children during Ko's fifteen-year second imprisonment. For years, the children were told their father was working in the United States; the letters were actually coming from Green Island.
A QR code at the entrance opens a well-made English audio tour with floor plans, numbered stops, and professional narration. The museum is a short walk from Kaohsiung Main Station and admission is free.
Get there
Public transport
From Kaohsiung Main Station (Red Line R11), walk along Zhongshan 1st Road and turn onto Bade 2nd Road.
Sources
- Ministry of Culture Museum Island: Ko Chih-hua Residence ↗ — Address, opening hours, and museum information
- Taipei Times: Torn apart by the White Terror ↗ — 2026 visit, English audio tour, and interior photography