A Must-Visit for Literary Souls: The Philosopher’s Wall in an Old House with Artistic Charm

By / Scenic Spots Home compiled report
 
At the corner of Haibin Street and Wuquan Street in Hualien, there is a hidden old house secret spot called the “Forgotten Affairs Office.” Its exterior “Philosophers’ Wall” features portraits of 19 renowned figures from China and abroad painted on the originally moss-streaked wall and courtyard, creating an atmosphere of reflection and making it a must-visit spot on Hualien’s northern coast.

Last year, the Forgotten Affairs Office was brought to life through a proposal by independent educator Lin Meiling and the owner of a nearby café on Haibin Street. Street artist Xie Zhonghui created murals featuring portraits of numerous historical figures who pursued the “selfless self,” covering the walls of the entire old house.

The 19 historical figures include painter Frida Kahlo, who wrestled with illness; writer Virginia Woolf, who fought for women's rights; Hermann Hesse, the essential wanderer in pursuit of self; and Pablo Picasso, who challenged the limits of artistic expression. All share a common thread of engaging in intellectual debate about the self and the world, embodying a journey from self-seeking to selflessness.

Among them, the previously blank northern wall of the old building—built during the Japanese colonial period and left untouched until now—has this year been newly adorned with five “goddesses”: Lin Huiyin, Eileen Chang, Sanmao, French sculptor Camille Claudel, and German political philosopher Hannah Arendt, representing important female intellectuals of the 20th century.

Notably, each portrait is accompanied by the image of ocean waves, symbolizing the sea of Hualien. This not only represents a philosophical discourse taking place by the seaside of Hualien but also likens the figures on the wall to the ebb and flow of ocean tides—an ongoing, selfless dialogue.