Activists appeal to save village

Chang Mao-kuei (張茂桂), one of the panel judges and a research fellow at the Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica, said that the city ignores the rich historical and cultural heritage of the area.

"The city sees it as a filthy and shameful eyesore, and there are many interest groups involved," he said.

"On the one hand, the school wants to expand its campus in order to attract more students, on the other hand, the real estate industry prefers to build more high-rise buildings to make big money."

Executive director of the Culture and History Council at the Community Construction Society (社區營造學會), Yang Chang-chen (楊長鎮), said he has been disappointed with the bureaucracy of the city government over the years.

"There are many ways to solve the problem, but it has chosen to do nothing," he said.