The Public Baths: Which Take Pride in Their Blend of Japanese and Foreign Architecture (Caoshan [J. Sōzan] Hot Springs, Taiwan)

The Taipei Prefecture public baths were built in the late 1920s to commemorate the enthronement of the Showa emperor in Japan, at a site where natural hot springs already were in use. The facilities were considered to be the best in Taiwan. Japanese forces invaded and occupied Taiwan in the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, a conflict between the Chinese and Japanese empires mainly over control of Korea. At the conclusion of the war, China ceded Taiwan to Japan. The occupation lasted until 1945 and the end of World War II.