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Hu still waiting for museum funding

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) yesterday said the city was waiting for an "east wind" to fill the sails of its bid to build a world-class Guggenheim museum after the foundation behind the museum's name approved the project.

Hu is standing by for a promised NT$3.2 billion subsidy from the central government, without which, he claims, the project cannot get off the ground.

Hu also hopes the government will boost the subsidy by a further NT$2 billion.

At a press conference in Taichung yesterday, Hu announced that the US-based Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has agreed to support Taichung's bid to build a Guggenheim museum.

"The foundation gave a formal response to me last night, saying it will support our bid as long as we can get all the money we need," Hu said.

"At the moment, we are ready to set sail although we are still waiting for the east wind to come," he said. "Today is the deadline for the Executive Yuan to answer our request for a subsidy of NT$5.2 billion.

"We have no intention to push for an answer immediately. We will wait for an answer with patience and optimism," he said.

The Cabinet said it would have to understand more about the project before making a decision on the subsidy.

If the government withholds the subsidy, it is doubtful that the Guggenheim project will go ahead. The Guggenheim Foundation has already said it is worried about Taichung City Government's ability to fund the museum.

The total cost of the project is expected to be around NT$6.4 million.

Hu told reporters yesterday that an assessment report on the project showed that a Guggenheim museum in Taichung would bring more than 1.2 million visitors to the city a year. The record for the number of visitors to a Guggenheim museum was made in 2001 when 930,000 people visited the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.

The assessment report also said the museum would earn the city and central government an annual tax revenue of NT$300 million to NT$700 million as well as create an estimated 2,700 jobs, including 870 permanent ones.

The operation of the Guggenheim museum would generate a deficit of NT$280 million to NT$400 million a year, which could be balanced by annual subsidies from the central government, the assessment said.

"An annual subsidy of NT$100 million from the central government and city government would help the museum operate smoothly," Hu said.
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