Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday the Cabinet is planning to build nine national halls or theaters within the next five years in several locations around the country, including Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taitung and Hualien.
"It is our goal that most people, say at least 90 percent of the population, be able to enjoy a show, an exhibition or a display at one of these halls or theaters. It would be great if there was such a venue within a 60-minute drive as it would encourage more people to participate in cultural activities," Chang said.
The premier announced the project at yesterday morning's Cabinet meeting. He said the project would cost approximately NT$26.5 billion (US$803 million).
"According to our calculation, we have 12 national halls or theaters in northern Taiwan, five in central Taiwan, four in the south and just one in Taitung," Chang said. "We plan to complete this project before 2012."
The premier said that among the nine new construction projects there would be a national theater, a national digital library, a national industrial art park in Taichung, a Kaohsiung branch of the National Palace Museum, a Taiwan history museum, an art cultural center at the Weiwuying (衛武營) military site in Kaohsiung, a pop music cultural center, an art museum in Taitung and a cultural park in Hualien.
"As we continue to develop this country, it is necessary for us to cultivate and elevate our citizens' tastes in terms of culture and the arts. This project will help in that respect," Chang said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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