Taipei's long-awaited Huashan Culture Park (華山文化園區) will begin operations next June, Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) Chairman Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良) said on Wednesday.
Chiu said the park, which went through four years of planning, will include an experimental film zone, an area to host activities and exhibitions and a building as a "flagship base" for Taiwan's "creative industry."
Public expectations are high for the project, he said.
LONG TIME COMING
Chiu said that it had been a long and winding road since 1998, when a group of cultural workers urged the government to turn the old brewery that dated back to 1916 into a culture park.
The property on Zhongxiao E Road was designated as one of the nation's five culture parks in 2002.
However, little progress has been made because of a public debate over what should be in the park and what type of events should be held there.
BENEFITS
Starting next June, the culture park is expected to be "a showroom" for all kinds of exhibitions and activities and cross-over art forms, and a venue for all ages, Chiu said.
He added that the park will benefit creative and cultural industries as well as non-profit organizations.
The park is an ideal place to host cultural and artistic events because of its location and historical setting, said Liu Wei-gong (劉維公), a Soochow University professor who was responsible for Huashan Culture Park's research plan.
Taiwan's cultural and creative arts industry has been rich in producing content while lacking an integrated platform and collective efforts, Liu said.
MOVING AHEAD
"It's time for Taiwan to move forward and speed up," the professor said.
"Hopefully, with the operation of the Huashan Culture Park and similar projects, Taiwan can establish a network for the cultural and creative industry and increase its global competitiveness," Chiu said.
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