Putting Taipei's past into perspecitve

While the bureau admits that not all of the city's old buildings can be saved, its policy has resulted in a huge increase in awareness regarding the need to protect the past.

"When the bureau was first tasked with the job of saving historical buildings, the picture was pretty grim. But with a full-time committee now working to preserve the sites, the number of buildings that are classified as heritage sites is at an all-time high," he said. "Public campaigns that promote the policy have meant that a lot more people are aware of the need to preserve the city's history."

Since the city government's culture bureau established its heritage-sites program and instituted a policy that restricted the demolition of historical sites, the number of protected structures throughout Taipei has risen to 120 and there are over 2,000 structures, that, while not protected by the law, are considered to have important historical significance.

"The criteria for what constitutes a heritage building is set by a committee that assesses buildings based on their cultural and historic values. Common buildings, such as the many Japanese colonial residences, are not considered as important as buildings with historical connections," said Wang.

"As long as they have historical significance, we put them on the list of protected buildings."

Some examples which show how much effort the city has put into the renovation and preservation of the city's historic buildings include the Chian Mu Residence (錢穆故居), Lin Yu-tang Residence (林語堂故居), the former residence of the American ambassador, or as it is now known, the Taipei Film House (台北之家) and the Yuanshan Villa, or the Taipei Story House, which sits adjacent the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

The city government hopes that the series of events and exhibitions that are set to take place over the coming months in celebration of city's 120th anniversary can raise awareness of the need to preserve historic structures and prove to city residents that Taipei has a valuable history.

Current exhibitions related to the city's history include the Discovery Center of Taipei (台北探索館), which offers visitors three floors of exhibits and video presentations focusing on the city's history and the small exhibition at the 228 Memorial Museum (228紀念館), which features an interesting collection of maps and historic artifacts celebrating 120 years of Taipei.

Up coming events include a partial renovation of the old city wall in September and a day-long festival and carnival in October.