公會堂是日治時期由日本移植到臺灣，原本目的為培養公民教育的理念與素養，為近代社會的重要產物。西元 1900 年基隆日人以紀念大正太子大婚，於基隆興建公會堂，藉此作為基隆日人集會與舉辦活動之場所，成為全臺最早設立之公會堂。早期公會堂多為日人使用，後因基隆多雨造成公會堂腐朽，改由基隆最有勢力之社團─基隆公益社改建經營，漸漸將公會堂擴大為市民之公共空間。隨著基隆都市發展，日益增加的人口，使得公會堂過於狹小不敷需求，實難作為全市民的活動場地，尤以攸關多數基隆市民重要決策的市民大會，多以公會堂為舉行地點。至基隆市役所接管後，擴建公會堂的輿論沸揚，然因地方政府財源不足，戰事逼進致無疾而終。 公會堂雖然作為市民的公共空間，並且在近代化中扮演傳遞新文化的重要角色，但仍不脫殖民教化之色彩。基隆公會堂作為日本政府傳播新文化與殖民政令宣導的場所之外，也成為地方人士主要的公共領域，基隆臺人受近代文化與在基日人的影響，也欲設立一個屬於臺人的公會堂。本文藉由當時報紙、官方檔案，以及地方志等著作，呈現日治時期公會堂的設立過程，並從公會堂為切入點，分析日治時期基隆地方社會的多樣面貌與發展。

The assembly halls were transferred from Japan to Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial Period. The original goal is to foster the concepts and quality of civic education. The assembly halls were a result in modern society. In 1900, to celebrate the marriage of Prince Taisho, the Japanese in Keelung built an assembly hall in Keelung, which served as the place for gatherings and activities by the Japanese. It is the earliest assembly hall in Taiwan. Assembly halls were mainly used by the Japanese at the beginning. Later, they became the public space for citizens. With urban development in Keelung and the increasing number of population, the assembly hall became too crowded to accommodate the citizens’ activities. Civil assemblies, where major decisions on most Keelung citizens were made, were mostly held at the assembly hall. After Keelung City Hall took over the Aseembly Hall, the public opinions called for expansion of the Aseembly Hall. Owing to the difficult financial condition and the approaching war, the expansion was never made. Even though the assembly hall was the public space for the citizens and played an important role in conveying new culture in the modernization, it was still for colonial cultivation. Besides being the location for colonization policy propaganda and new culture of the Japanese government, Keelung Assembly Hall was also the major public domain of the local people. Influenced by modern culture and the Japanese in Keelung, Taiwanese people in Keelung also intended to establish an assembly hall for the Taiwanese. With the then newspaper, official archives and local journals, the researcher presents the establishment procedures of the assembly hall during the Japanese Colonial Period, and analyzes the diversity and development of the local society in Keelung.