Visiting Four Four South Village In Taipei (四四南村）

If you are planning to visit Taipei 101, there is a small attraction just a short walk away that is worth stopping by.

Four Four South Village （四四南村）is a historic site that gives you a very different view of the city compared to the skyscrapers in Xinyi District. Once a military dependents’ village (眷村）, it has been preserved as a cultural park with old houses, a café, and small exhibitions.

It doesn’t take long to visit, but it’s a nice stop to experience a bit of local history and take unique photos before heading into the busy Taipei 101 area.

Hi, I’m Grace, originally from Taiwan. I live overseas now and visit Taipei regularly to reconnect with family and friends.

I visited Four Four South Village on a hot summer morning in 2025, and even under the bright sun, the quiet lanes and old houses felt calm and inviting. It was a nice contrast to the busy streets just a few minutes away.

In this post, I’ll share what you can see at Four Four South Village, and a little background on military dependents’ villages so you can better understand this part of Taiwan’s history and culture.

Visiting Four Four South Village In Taipei (四四南村）

How to Get There

This is the link to this place on Google Maps: Four Four South Village

If you’re taking the MRT, get off at Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station on the Red Line and use Exit 2. Once you’re above ground, walk straight and turn left at the intersection onto Zhuangjing Road (莊敬路). From there, take the first left onto Songqin Street (松勤街), and you’ll see Four Four South Village right in front of you.

The walk time from the MRT station is about 5 minutes.

What Is a Military Dependents’ Village(眷村）?

To understand Four Four South Village, it helps to know a little bit about Taiwan’s modern history.

After the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the ROC government retreated to Taiwan and brought along almost 2 million soldiers, government employees, and their families. The housing communities built for them were known as military dependents’ villages (眷村).

Military dependents’ villages can be found all over Taiwan, with big clusters in places near military bases such as Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung and Kaohsiung.

Most families who moved in believed they would only stay in Taiwan temporarily before returning to China. As the years passed, it became clear that going back was no longer possible.

Life was modest in the military dependents’ village. Neighbors shared narrow alleys, small courtyards, and often leaned on one another for daily needs. The close-knit communities became an important part of Taiwan’s post-war culture.

Today, as cities expanded and land became more valuable, most of these villages have been torn down and replaced by modern buildings, and only a few have been preserved or rebuilt as cultural sites.

A Brief History of Four Four South Village

The families who lived in Four Four South Village were workers from the 44th Arsenal, a military factory originally based in Qingdao, China. When the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan in 1949, the arsenal was relocated to Taipei and set up in the former Japanese Army warehouse in the Xinyi area.

The village was built just south of the factory, which is why it was named Four Four South Village.

The men worked at the 44th Arsenal making weapons, ammunition, and other military supplies. It was a dangerous job, as handling gunpowder and explosives meant that accidents could occur at any time.

Most of the original Four Four South Village was eventually torn down as Taipei modernized, but a small portion was preserved and restored. Today, you can walk through this remaining corner and imagine what life was like for the families who once lived here.

What to See In Four Four South Village

The Old Houses

As you walk through the restored houses, you’ll notice the tiled roofs, old-style windows, and narrow lanes that once made up the village.

The contrast with the skyscrapers around you is striking, and you’ll find plenty of photo spots with Taipei 101 rising right behind the old homes.

Exhibition Hall

You can step inside one of the houses that has been turned into a small exhibition hall. The displays are simple, but they show how families lived here and the kinds of objects they used every day.

While I was going through the exhibition, I tried to imagine myself as part of a military family living here. At first thinking life in Taiwan was only temporary before returning to China, and then slowly realizing this was home for good.

I thought about how much the families must have depended on and supported each other in such a close-knit village. It was a very good history lesson and a reminder of how important this chapter of Taiwanese history is.

Final Thoughts

Four Four South Village is a small site, but it carries a big piece of Taiwan’s modern history.

Walking through the old houses gives you a sense of the community life that once thrived here, and the exhibition hall does a great job of telling the story of military dependents’ villages.

It’s worth stopping by, especially since it’s so close to Taipei 101. You can easily fit it into your itinerary and come away with a deeper understanding of how these families lived and supported one another during a difficult time in Taiwan’s past.

I hope this article is helpful to you!