Most Taiwanese citizens have never heard the name Hsiu Tse-lan, yet they encounter her work daily on the reverse side of the NT$100 bill, which features the iconic Yangmingshan Zhongshan Hall. This remarkable woman broke significant barriers in 1951 as Taiwan's first female architect and engineer, leaving an indelible mark on the island's architectural landscape through her innovative designs and groundbreaking community planning projects.

Hsiu's most famous commission came directly from then-president Chiang Kai-shek, who personally selected her to design the Yangmingshan Zhongshan Hall. Given just 13 months to complete this monumental task in time for the centennial of Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen's birth on November 12, 1966, Hsiu successfully delivered a masterpiece that would become one of Taiwan's most recognizable landmarks. The building's distinctive design blends traditional Chinese architectural elements with modern construction techniques, embodying the government's favored palace style of that era.

Another revolutionary project that showcased Hsiu's visionary approach was Garden City in New Taipei City's Sindian District, which she initiated in 1968 as Taiwan's first mountainside planned community. This meticulously designed residential development for 1,250 households demonstrated her commitment to improving living conditions, particularly for working women. She equipped every unit with dishwashers and other modern appliances that were rare in Taiwan at the time, and established an on-site daycare center to reduce the domestic burden on working mothers.

Born on August 15, 1925, in Yuanling County, Hunan Province, Hsiu came from an educated family with strong Western influences. Her grandfather served as a high-ranking Qing Dynasty official, and her parents, uncles, and aunts all received Western-style education. Despite being the only girl among five siblings and facing traditional gender bias, Hsiu pursued her architectural dreams with determination. When she was accepted to National Central University's architectural engineering program, her mother initially hid the acceptance letter, not wanting her daughter to leave home to study in another city.

Hsiu's choice of architecture as a career path was influenced by the Chinese Nationalist Party's wartime encouragement for young people to study engineering and architecture to help strengthen and rebuild the nation. She was one of only two women in her entering class of 40 students. After graduating in 1947 and completing an internship, she traveled to Taiwan to visit relatives. However, as the Chinese Civil War intensified, her family urged her to find employment there, leading to her permanent relocation to the island in 1949 at age 22.

At the Taiwan Railways Bureau's engineering department, Hsiu's first major project was designing the old Banqiao Railway Station, which was later demolished in 1981. Despite being just 25 years old, she replaced the original wooden structure with a modernist design that prioritized human-centered aspects. Her improvements included lowering and opening up ticket counters, adding more convenient baggage check facilities, and creating a bright, spacious main hall that enhanced the passenger experience.

In 1956, Hsiu married colleague Fu Chi-kuan, a civil engineer, and together they established the Tse Chun Architectural Firm. This partnership allowed Hsiu to experiment boldly with structural elements, leveraging Fu's expertise while pursuing her vision of planning and overseeing construction projects. Her first non-railroad project, the Tri-Service General Hospital nursery school, had actually been completed earlier in 1954, demonstrating her early expansion beyond railway architecture.

The firm experienced tremendous success between 1956 and 1966, at one point handling 30 projects simultaneously. During Taiwan's economic recovery period, when private real estate investment was limited, most of Hsiu's projects were academic or public buildings. Her strong connections in the education sector and her devout Christian faith led to numerous school and religious structure commissions, including what are now Jing Mei Girls High School and the University of Taipei.

Hsiu's architectural philosophy emphasized distinctive building interiors while devoting equal attention to lighting, sanitation, heating, ventilation, safety, and user well-being. Her innovative approach to blending Chinese and Western styles first emerged in 1962 with the Taichung Teachers College building, now part of the Affiliated Senior High School of National Chung Hsing University. This early fusion work, recommended by then-minister of education Chang Chi-chun, caught President Chiang Kai-shek's attention and led to the prestigious Zhongshan Hall commission.

The completion of Zhongshan Hall significantly elevated Hsiu's reputation, enabling her to take on a broader range of projects while maintaining her specialty in campus design. In 1967, inspired by a three-month trip to the United States and Canada, she became fascinated with suburban residential communities, viewing them as symbols of progress and deciding to implement this concept in Taiwan through Garden City.

The Garden City project represented Hsiu's most ambitious undertaking, requiring her to purchase 54 hectares of land from 90 tea farmers in Sindian. She declared that if even one owner refused to sell, she would abandon the entire project. The development was meticulously planned from scratch, including land preparation, retaining walls, and drainage systems. Hsiu prioritized soil and water conservation, making minimal changes to the terrain while retaining vegetation and open spaces.

Each residential unit in Garden City came with more than 20 pings of garden space and was outfitted with washing machines, food grinders, dishwashers, heaters, and exhaust fans. Many of these appliances weren't yet available in Taiwan, requiring factories to create custom versions specifically for the project. The community also featured comprehensive amenities including a laundromat, daycare center, supermarket, church, trash service, shuttle bus, two parks, and recreational facilities, making it a popular weekend destination for visitors.

Construction of Garden City began in 1968, but the project faced a major setback in 1970 when Hsiu's husband Fu was arrested and jailed for three years on sedition charges. Despite this personal and professional challenge, Hsiu pressed forward alone, maintaining her commitment to the idealistic project until 1987. The development remained the couple's main focus throughout this period, though frequent funding shortages significantly reduced Hsiu's other architectural output, with only a handful of buildings completed during the 1980s.

Throughout her career, Hsiu received significant recognition for her contributions to architecture and urban planning. In 1967, she received the first Golden Tripod Award for Architecture alongside distinguished peers such as Wang Da-hong and Chen Chi-kuan. Her legacy continues to influence Taiwan's architectural landscape, and an exhibition showcasing her life and work is currently displayed at the National Taiwan Museum's Railway Department Park, running through November 2.

Hsiu Tse-lan's pioneering work as Taiwan's first female architect broke gender barriers and established new standards for human-centered design and community planning. From the iconic Zhongshan Hall that graces Taiwan's currency to the innovative Garden City development that prioritized working women's needs, her contributions represent a unique blend of traditional Chinese aesthetics, modern functionality, and progressive social vision that continues to inspire architects and urban planners today.