Origins of Su Shu House
Chin Chao-fen, executive director of the Su-Shu-Lou Cultural and Educational Foundation, notes that the line “Strong grass cannot be felled by the wind” truly captures the essence of Chien Mu’s life. From the Xinhai Revolution that ended the Qing Dynasty, through the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Second Chinese Civil War, to the madness of the Cultural Revolution, which engulfed mainland China and impacted Hong Kong when Chien was based there, and on up to the severing of ROC‡US diplomatic relations, which occurred after he had moved to Taiwan, Chien determinedly forged ahead with his scholarship, completing his massive academic project A New Study of Zhu Xi as well as ambitious cultural works such as Examining Chinese People and Culture Through Chinese History and The Global Situation and Chinese Culture. These books are highly accessible introductions to Chinese culture that cultivate a sense of cultural self-confidence and self-respect.
In 1964, Chien stepped down from his post as president of New Asia College, after 16 years in Hong Kong working as an educational administrator. He was then invited to teach at the University of Malaya. He had expected to settle down and live in Kuala Lumpur long term, but he couldn’t get used to the hot and humid climate and had frequent serious stomach problems. He was left with no choice but to return to Hong Kong. At that time mainland China was caught in the grip of the Cultural Revolution, and the resulting turmoil spilled over into Hong Kong. So once again he had to search for a new place to live.
Eventually, Chien Mu and his wife decided to move to Taiwan and came first to scout out land to build on. A good friend who knew he was looking for a building site recommended the Su Shu House location, which is in a small basin surrounded by hills at Waishuangxi in Shilin, a northern suburb of Taipei City. At high points the site offers views of the National Palace Museum halfway up the opposite slope. Babbling Waishuangxi Creek, which runs all four seasons of the year, can be found down the hill. The scenery is beautiful. Zoned for cemeteries, the land was cheap, which was important for an academic who hadn’t accumulated substantial savings. A friend asked: “Does it violate any fengshui taboos?” But after coming from Hong Kong to visit the site, a smiling Chien said he wasn’t worried about the fengshui. The immediate neighborhood had an elementary school, so in fengshui terms it could be described as a focal point for cultural energy. He thus decided to build his home here.
The second-floor study is the focal point of Su Shu House. It is just about the size of the downstairs living and dining rooms put together.