The cheers of beer drinkers and the roars of protesters echoed in a beer festival held by the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board (TTWB, 菸酒公賣局) at the Chienkuo Beer Factory (建國啤酒廠) in Taipei yesterday.
The festival was divided into two parts: one was a gala party where residents of the neighborhood savored chilled beer to cool down on a hot summer's day; the other was a skit titled "Bacchus is crying" (
During the skit, the god of wine said the best beer came from the Chienkuo Beer Factory, but now the factory is to close, and that torments him.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMESN
Executive director of the board of the factory union, Chao Ming-yuan (
"By then, residents in the greater Taipei area will not be able to savor fresh beer made in their neighborhood," Chao said.
The beer factory, which was constructed more than 80 years ago, has silently watched Taipei's rapid development, Chao said, adding that the beer industry should be preserved.
"Allow the people to see how it is their golden Taiwan Beer is brewed," Chao said, as the preservation of the factory as a historic building only makes sense when there is production going on within its walls.
Recalling President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) campaign promise to have the factory continue production, Chao called upon the TTWB to make efforts toward this end.
The TTWB plans to close the factory and move the production line and its workers to the newly established Chunan factory in Hsinchu.
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