Located next to Tait & Co. Merchant House, the former residence of Chu Jiu Ying(朱玖瑩故居) was originally a dormitory for staff of the Taiwan Salt Co., Ministry of Finance, and is also called the Salthouse. It was so named because the building was once assigned to Mr. Chu Jiu Ying, director of the Salt Bureau, Ministry of Finance, who settled here because of the salt industry. As a master of calligraphy, Mr. Chu kept much of his work, and the building houses his contemporary calligraphy collection. He lived in Anping for many years, and called himself “the old man of Anping.” Currently, there are plans to turn the residence into a calligraphy exhibition hall, the most attractive piece being the Yan style Heart Sutra(顏體心經) which takes up an entire wall. The Heart Sutra wall is most enchanting in the afternoon, when light from the window shines on the wall. The tangle of light and dark, black and white, seems to settle the mind as one gazes at it.
