Skip to content
A historic red-brick shophouse facade with arched windows and a covered arcade on Dihua Street, Dadaocheng, Taipei
Taipei · 台北 · 25.03°N 121.56°E

National Taiwan Museum (Nanmen Branch): camphor-era industrial history in a garden-like park

Set in a leafy park on the site of the 1899 Nanmen Factory — once Taiwan’s only government-run camphor works — this National Taiwan Museum branch pairs restored colonial-era buildings like the Red House and Little White House with exhibits on Taiwan’s industrial heritage. An easy, calm cultural stop on a Zhongzheng museum day.

Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0

Set in a leafy park on the site of the 1899 Nanmen Factory — once Taiwan’s only government-run camphor works — this National Taiwan Museum branch pairs restored colonial-era buildings like the Red House and Little White House with exhibits on Taiwan’s industrial heritage. An easy, calm cultural stop on a Zhongzheng museum day.

Updated June 20, 2026

Map

Visualize where this fits in your day (and plan nearby pairings).

Open full map →

Quick facts資訊

Cost
Exhibition Hall NT$30 (discount NT$15); a four-branch combo ticket is NT$130 (discount NT$65). Free for children under 6, seniors 65+ on weekdays, and disabled visitors with companion. The surrounding park is free.
Hours
Exhibition Hall: Tuesday–Sunday 09:30–17:00 (ticket booth closes 16:30); park open daily 06:00–22:00. Closed Mondays and Lunar New Year’s Eve and Day.
Time needed
1–2.5 hours for the exhibits and a walk through the park
Getting there
No. 1, Sec. 1, Nanchang Rd., Zhongzheng District; near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT Station. Tel +886-2-2397-3666.
Best time / for
A relaxed weekday visit; the open-air park is pleasant in fair weather, while the exhibition hall works as a rainy-day stop.
Good to know
Payment accepted includes EasyCard, credit card, and TaiwanPay. The exhibition hall is closed Mondays even though the park stays open.
District
Zhongzheng (Nanmen Park area)
Best for
Museum clustering, industrial-history context, calm pace
Admission
NT$30 (exhibition hall); park free
Closed
Mondays

Highlights亮點

  • Built on the 1899 Nanmen Factory, Taiwan’s only state camphor works
  • Restored Red House (1914) and Little White House heritage buildings
  • A garden-like park that’s open long hours and free to wander
  • Easy to combine with South Gate and the Botanical Garden

From camphor factory to museum park

The Nanmen Branch occupies the grounds of the former Nanmen Factory, a government facility established in 1899 to manage Taiwan’s opium monopoly and camphor production under Japanese rule. By 1931 it was known as the Taipei Nanmen Factory — the only government-run camphor manufactory in Taiwan during the colonial period.

After World War II it became the Taiwan Provincial Camphor Factory until its closure in 1967. The site was designated a National Historic Site in 1998, transferred to the National Taiwan Museum in 2006, and — after restoration — opened to the public in 2013.

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei — the historic tobacco-factory warehouses with the curved Taipei New Horizon building behind
Photo: 玄史生 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

The historic buildings

The Red House, a two-story brick camphor warehouse built in 1914, shows off Tatsuno-style horizontal white stripes and now serves as the reception and main exhibition space. The Little White House, an early Meiji-period stone goods storehouse, combines red brick with a thick outer layer of Qilian stone and hosts multi-purpose exhibitions and events.

Elsewhere in the park you’ll find the 1929 ‘400 Dan’ water pool, a brick-and-concrete fire reservoir holding roughly 72 cubic meters — a small but vivid reminder of the site’s industrial past.

Why go

Nanmen Branch is a smart add-on when you’re already in the Zhongzheng museum district. It gives you a different ‘Taipei story’ than the headline landmarks — more about how the city and the island worked, traded, and evolved.

If you like cultural stops that feel local and slightly under-the-radar, with green space attached, this is a strong pick.

The ecological pond at Daan Forest Park in Taipei, ringed by green lawns and trees with apartment towers behind
Photo: 玄史生 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

How to pair it

Treat this as part of a museum-cluster day. One or two indoor stops plus a garden loop is the sweet spot. The exhibition hall is small enough to pair easily with the Botanical Garden or the South Gate, and it’s a short walk from CKS Memorial Hall MRT.

  • Nanmen Branch → South Gate → National Museum of History
  • Nanmen Branch → botanical garden stroll → tea break (Nanmending 323)

FAQ 常見問題

Quick answers to common planning questions.

What’s nearby to combine it with?
It sits in the Nanhai Road / Botanical Garden cluster of Zhongzheng, so it pairs naturally with the Taipei Botanical Garden, the National Museum of History, and the Nanmending 323 teahouse, with the city gates and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall a short walk further. It’s easy to build a calm, museum-and-garden half-day here.
Is it a good rainy-day stop?
Yes — the indoor exhibition hall, set in the handsome old camphor-factory buildings, makes a comfortable wet-weather anchor, and the modest admission keeps it low-stakes. On fair days the surrounding Nanmen Park is a pleasant free addition for a short stroll before or after.
How much is admission?
The Exhibition Hall is NT$30 (NT$15 discounted), or you can buy a four-branch combo ticket for NT$130 (NT$65 discounted). Children under 6, weekday seniors 65+, and disabled visitors with a companion enter free. The park itself is free.
What are the opening hours?
The Exhibition Hall opens Tuesday–Sunday 09:30–17:00 (last tickets 16:30) and is closed Mondays and over Lunar New Year. The surrounding park is open daily, roughly 06:00–22:00.
What’s the history of the site?
It’s the former Nanmen Factory, established in 1899 and once Taiwan’s only government-run camphor works. Restored as a museum, it opened to the public in 2013.
How do I get there?
It’s at No. 1, Sec. 1, Nanchang Rd., Zhongzheng District, near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT Station.
Can I use the combo ticket at other branches?
Yes — the NT$130 four-branch combo ticket covers the National Taiwan Museum’s Main Building, Natural History (Land Bank) branch, Nanmen Branch, and Railway Department Park.

Keep exploring 繼續逛

Hand-picked next reads to make your Taipei plan smoother.

Zhongzheng: monuments, museums, and classic civic Taipei

Zhongzheng: monuments, museums, and classic civic Taipei

A central district for big cultural landmarks and museum-style sightseeing—ideal for your ‘classic Taipei’ day. Home to the CKS Memorial Hall, Liberty Square, and the city’s great national museums, it’s where Taipei tells its public story.

Read more →
Guting: riverside walks, bookstores, and an easy city-center base

Guting: riverside walks, bookstores, and an easy city-center base

A practical, calm crossroads between Zhongzheng and Daan—great for riverside strolls and low-transfer city days. It’s a quietly livable, slightly bookish district that makes daily logistics painless without putting you in the busiest hub.

Read more →
Taipei South Gate (Lizheng Gate): a city-gate stop near the museum district

Taipei South Gate (Lizheng Gate): a city-gate stop near the museum district

Taipei’s grandest surviving city gate, completed in 1884 as the main south gate of the Qing-era walled city. Formally named Lizhengmen — the ‘(Main) Gate of Beauty’ — it now sits on a busy traffic circle in Zhongzheng, pairing beautifully with the Nanhai Road museum cluster and an easy historic-core walking day.

Read more →
National Museum of History: a culture anchor in the botanical garden district

National Museum of History: a culture anchor in the botanical garden district

Taiwan’s first public museum founded after 1949, reopened in February 2024 after a five-year renovation—a Ming/Qing palace-style building beside the Taipei Botanical Garden. Ideal for a focused cultural stop on a Zhongzheng ‘museums + greenery’ day.

Read more →
Taipei Botanical Garden: a green reset near the old city

Taipei Botanical Garden: a green reset near the old city

Taiwan’s first botanical garden, established in 1896 and renamed in 1921—an 8.2-hectare green escape near the old city with 2,000-plus plant species, a famous lotus pond, and heritage buildings dating back to the 19th century. The kind of quiet that makes the rest of Taipei feel sharper.

Read more →
Rainy day Taipei: museums, markets, tea, and cozy food

Rainy day Taipei: museums, markets, tea, and cozy food

A rainy day in Taipei can be perfect—here’s how to plan a full, satisfying day without getting soaked or stuck in transit.

Read more →

Ready to plan your next stop? 下一站

Start with a simple loop: one neighborhood stroll, one iconic sight, and one night market. Taipei rewards balance.

Tip: hours, prices, and seasonal schedules can change. When something matters (like a museum ticket or a special exhibition), check the official listing before you go.