The Taipei City Government yesterday declared the 70-year-old "Black Beauty Night Club" a historical site, making it the second municipal location with ties to the sex industry to be recognized for its cultural and historical significance.
The "Black Beauty Night Club," which was built in the 1930s at Nanjing W Road and Yanping N Road, follows on the heels of the Wen-meng Building on Guisui Street, which formerly housed a brothel.
Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lee Yong-ping (李永萍) said that cultural experts from the department's advisory committee had agreed to list the building as a historical site late last month.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
The windows and pillars of the two-floor building preserved the architectural style of the late Qing dynasty and early Japanese colonial period, Lee said.
The building's cultural significance lies in it having witnessed the development of the city's sex industry as well as having been a gathering place for local celebrities, especially around the time of the 228 Incident.
"The place witnessed part of [the nation's] history. We should not write off its significance simply because it was a night club which offered sexual services," Lee said at Taipei City Hall yesterday.
Lee said that the committee began to review the cultural and historical significance of the building after some residents recommended the site and its significance to the department, and formally listed it as a historical site on May 28.
While most of the old buildings in the area have been remodeled, most of night club's original structure has been preserved, despite it being closed for many years.
Lee said that the department would assist the owner in tearing down the unlicensed third floor and billboard outside the building, and seek to revive the original style of the building.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source