Taiwan under Japanese rule
The house served as a residence for the Governor-General of Taiwan under Japanese rule prior to 1945 and became government dormitories under the Republic of China administration in 1950. The building became a teahouse and gained its present name in 1981 and was meeting place for political dissidents such as Lei Chen (雷震) fighting for a democratic Taiwan during the 1980s. Since then, Wisteria House has been and continues to be a favored meeting place for Taipei literati, artists, and academics. It has since been designated as a historic monument by the Taipei government in 1997 and operation of the teahouse was turned over to the Wistaria Cultural Association by the Taipei City Cultural Bureau.