During it’s storied past, this historic Northwest Washington mansion was titled by a Revolutionary war general, built as a summer retreat for the National Geographic Society’s founder, and later made into the epicenter of U.S.-Taiwanese relations – SHIN-WEN KUO recants Twin Oaks’ colorful saga.

Photography Gary Landsman

The Chinese have a concept called yuan fen – roughly translated it means “destiny” or “fate.” Stronger than coincidence, it often refers to a meeting, a relationship, or a situation that is meant to be long before it’s foreseen. So it is fitting that one of Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu’s – Taiwan’s Representative to the U.S. – favorite personal anecdotes about Twin Oaks involves a bit of yuan fen.
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