The massive 921 earthquake not only claimed the lives of thou-sands of Taiwanese and their homes -- it left dozens of Taiwan's historic sites in ruins.
While an overall inspection of Taiwan's 388 national historic sites is being undertaken by the Ministry of Interior (MOI), some of the sites may unfortunately be gone forever because they were so severely damaged, according to the MOI's Civil Affairs director Chi Chun-chen (紀俊臣).
Among the damaged sites, the 200-year old Lin Family Gardens in Wufeng (
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, LIBERTY TIMES
"Ninety percent of the wooden buildings were destroyed," Chi said, after checking the site with experts.
Ironically, according to Lin Cheng-chi (
The Lin family complex was owned by the wealthiest family in central Taiwan.
The complex, which covered 3,888 square meters, preserved many fine examples of Chinese-style architecture of the Ching dynasty. But the quake two weeks ago demolished nearly the whole area and claimed the lives of two members of the Lin clan.
"All that can be done now is to preserve the wooden relics and antiques left in the debris," Chi said. "We are still considering if we will rebuild the site or abolish it."
According to an initial estimate by the interior ministry, it could take more than NT$100 million to rebuild the complex.
Like the Lin mansion, the Lungshan Temple (龍山寺) in Lukan (鹿港), Chanhua County, was seriously damaged and will require NT$20 million to repair.
In Nantou County, three classical academies -- Mingshin (明新), Tengyen (登簷) and Lantien (藍田) -- were partly collapsed and will also require several millions of dollars for reconstruction, said Chi.
So far, the government has budgeted NT$250 million for emergency repair of damaged historic sites.
However, according to architect Yang Ren-chiang (
At the same time, both legislators and cultural heritage preservation groups urged the government take a closer look at other unregistered historical buildings.
DPP lawmaker Fan Shun-lu (
"As buildings with indicative red tape on them will be demolished within a week under the government's emergency decree, we are worried that those marked historic buildings will also be demolished," said Fan.
Among those buildings, the Chichi Railway Station (集集火車站) -- once a famous tourist spot -- was one of those dangerous buildings, according to Chiu Ru-hua (丘如華) of the Yaoshan Foundation (樂山文教基金會).
In response, Lin Cheng-chi has vowed to save the Chichi station from the wrecking ball.
"We will rebuild the station, and make it a symbol [of inspiration] to help the quake-stricken town stand up again," Lin said.
The Yaoshan Foundation has organized architectural scholars and students to form the League for 921 Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage.
So far, hundreds of professionals have gone to disaster sites for volunteer inspections.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in