A ceremony was held at the southern branch of the National Palace Museum (NPM) in Chiayi County yesterday for its soft opening with the attendance of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan (成龍) and NPM Director Feng Ming-chu (馮明珠).
During the six-month soft opening period, the museum is to be open only to visitors who schedule appointments in advance. Appointments for all of next month are already fully booked, while registration for visits in February is to begin on Jan. 20, the museum administration said.
Ma thanked those who were involved in the establishment of the branch, which was first envisioned 15 years ago.
Ma said the opening of the southern branch was the best birthday present for the NPM, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. The museum was originally established in Beijing in 1925 to showcase Qing Dynasty imperial collections.
The collections including more than 600,000 artifacts and artworks were moved to Taiwan in 1948 and 1949 during the Chinese Civil War, and were first displayed to the public in Taipei in 1965 after a new building was completed in Taipei’s Waishuangxi (外雙溪).
Ma said he hoped the Cabinet would review coordination, planning and division of labor among governmental agencies to avoid similar delays in other projects.
Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠) said Chiayi residents have waited for this day for more than 10 years, becoming even more determined over that period to make art and culture the focus of development in the county.
The museum’s 10 exhibitions showcase a variety of Asian textiles, Buddhist art, Imari porcelain wares from Japan, South Asian costumes, Asian tea culture, Islamic carved jades, Goryeo Celadon ceramic wares from South Korea, blue and white Ming Dynasty porcelain, the history of Chiayi and a multimedia introduction to Asian art.
Branded as a “museum of Asian art and culture,” the 70-hectare facility is to collect, research, preserve and exhibit artifacts and relics from across Asia.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese