Introduction:
Foreign firms were only permitted by Cing Court to operate trading companies in Canton before Opium War. It was the place that foreign trader set for their business.

Tait & Co. was founded in 1867 located in Haitoushe of Anping trading opium, camphor and sugar.

After Taiwan was ceded to Japan, the Japanese government took back the monopoly for opium and camphor. The foreign firms' business decreased and at meanwhile, Anping horbor was getting slit up causing many company to close except Tait & Co.
In 1911 all of the foreign firms in Anping were closed, Japanese government turned Tait & Co. to a salt company. Until the restoration of Taiwan, it changed to the office of the Tainan Salt Works. In 1979, the city government took back Tait & Co. and repaired it as the Taiwan Development Wax Museum.

The office of Tait & Co. is 200 feet long and 120 feet wide. Together with the Bain & Co., Bovd & Co., Julius Mannich & Co., and Wright & Co., they were known as the top five foreign companies in Anping. Different from our traditional building, the western designed buildings of these foreign companies are the providence of the trading history for Taiwan and foreign companies.

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Feature:
Situated in the north and facing the south, it is a 2-story building with the main stairway located at the center. First floor was the dormitory for the workers and walking way is in the center and 3 rooms for right and left side each. The second floor is similar to the first floor but the railings of arcade are decorated with green glaze vases. With while painting wall, it is quite different from traditional buildings in Fujian style.

The roof divided into left and right sections is supported with truss and covered with tiles. All has four slopes for drainage. In general, Western people often used arcades when they built houses in Taiwan to shelter heat and rain. Therefore, "arch" became an important element in Western buildings in Taiwan. The Tait & Co., is a typical example.

Now the wall is covered up with while ash and plants grass, flowers and trees in right and left side makes it looks graceful and peaceful.