Eight years after the dance studio of Taiwanese dance legend Tsai Jui-yueh (
Addressing an audience at the opening ceremony held on the front lawn of the building yesterday afternoon, President Chen Shui-bian (
The facility was named the "Rose Historic Site" to signify Tsai's passion and love for dance.
"It shows our respect for the mother of Taiwan's modern dance and her love for her passion, which is like the love of a mother for her child," Chen said.
Chen said he had the honor of meeting Tsai in 1997 when she returned home from Australia for a visit. During their conversation, Chen, who was Taipei mayor at that time, said that he suddenly realized how scarce performing venues were in Taipei.
Tsai inspired him to take more interest in the art of dance and strengthen his resolve to promote Taiwanese art, he said.
The Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Club, formerly called the China Dance Club (中華舞蹈社), was Taiwan's oldest modern dance studio. It witnessed the personal plight of Tsai and her family during the political turmoil over the past decades.
Tsai began her dancing and teaching career in Taiwan in 1946 at the age of 25.
In 1947, Tsai married poet Lei Shih-yu (
Tsai and her baby boy were forbidden to leave Taiwan with him, and that winter Tsai herself was imprisoned.
She established her dance studio in 1953 when she got out of jail. By the 1960s, the dance club had become an important venue for international dance exchanges.
Tsai emigrated to Australia with her son in 1983 because of what she called the stifling political atmosphere in Taiwan, and because her son was recruited as a professional dancer by the Australian Dance Theatre.
The city had originally planned to demolish the dance studio in 1994, but a conservation campaign launched by local artists led to its designation as a municipal historic site in 1999.
Located on Zhongshan North Road, Sec. 2, the Japanese wooden building burned down four days after it was designated a historic site, giving rise to suspicions of foul play.
After the fire, then Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) pledged that an investigation into the blaze would be completed within a month. No arrests were made. An NT$18 million (US$562,500) reconstruction project was launched and was completed in November 2003.
Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Foundation (蔡瑞月文化基金會) was awarded the operational contract for the site.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS