Chen was born in Hong Kong and spent her formative years there, but 20 years ago she adopted Taiwan as her home. "I have a strong sense of belonging in Taipei," Chen said.
Hong Kong's colonial atmosphere did not appeal to Chen, who practiced law in New York before migrating to Taiwan in 1986. "Taiwan represents for me the only free land of the Chinese people," she said.
Passing the villa every day, Chen feels a sense of attachment. The building is also special architecturally, for the British inspired building stands out against the more numerous buildings of the Japanese colonial period, such as the Presidential Building and Chungshan Hall.
"When I first saw the building, I felt a kinship, perhaps because I studied in England," Chen said.
Chen's enthusiasm for cultural activities partly stems from her three-year term as the first Chief Executive of the National Culture and Arts Foundation (國家文化藝術基金會), which offers arts awards and provides grants for artists.
"Arts and cultural workers work very hard and in very difficult conditions. I came to sympathize with them and agree with their ideals. Although the foundation gave them subsidies, they helped improve the quality of life for the general public, which is more important," said Chen, who hopes the Story House will help cultural workers in their future endeavors.
After helping the Foundation get on its feet, Chen took the position of chief of legal affairs at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Foundation (
"I was in charge of the distribution of funds for arts and culture. Although some people regard subsidizing cultural activities as charity, I think it's our duty, because the money you give to art groups eventually goes into the improvement of our quality of our life, and therefore we are the real beneficiary."
During her stint at TSMC, Chen contributed to the reopening of Taipei Film House, another recently renovated building in Taipei, a project in to which TSMC contributed NT$60 million.
The private sector and individuals should make more of an effort to make our cultural heritage an active part of people's lives, Chen said. "Waiting passively for the government to liven up heritage buildings is not enough. We can make efforts ourselves so that old houses do not just become homes for mosquitoes," Chen said.
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