The Ankang Reception House was originally under the jurisdiction of the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Judicial Administration  (later reorganized as the Ministry of Justice). It stands today as the most well-preserved secret interrogation facility in Taiwan.

During the White Terror period, the Investigation Bureau was responsible for matters concerning national security and interests, including investigations and surveillance. Over time, three interrogation sites were established in Taipei: the Dalongdong Interrogation House (1950–1958), the Sanzhangli First Detention Room  (1958–1972)—which was renamed the Sanzhangli Reception House in 1967—and finally, the Ankang Reception House (1974–1987). While the previous two locations were converted from private residences, the Ankang Reception House was a facility purpose-built for interrogation and detention. Situated in a secluded location, the site is divided into four main buildings based on their functions: the Work Area, the Recuperation Area, the Living Area, and the Dormitory Area.

The Ankang Reception House was officially completed and put into operation on January 8, 1974. During its years of service, it handled numerous high-profile political and criminal cases, including the Kaohsiung Incident (1980) and Operation Clean Sweep (1984). Following the lifting of martial law in 1987, the facility ceased its function as an interrogation center and was repurposed as a warehouse for the Investigation Bureau’s archives and equipment. In 2022, the Transitional Justice Commission designated the Ankang Reception House as a “site of injustice," and in December of the same year, the New Taipei City Government designated it a "municipal historic site."

Currently managed by the National Human Rights Museum, the Ankang Reception House represents the "interrogation" stage of political persecution. It serves as a vital complement to the "trial and execution" stages represented by the Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park and the "execution" stage of the Green Island White Terror Memorial Park. Together, these sites reconstruct the procedural flow of political cases under the authoritarian regime and document the history of human rights violations. Through the preservation and revitalization of this site of injustice, it has become a cornerstone for human rights education—a place to reflect on authoritarian history and to safeguard Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.