Of the 399 local culture museums in the nation, 41 are located in Tainan, the greatest concentration of any locality nationwide, statistics showed.
Locals’ cultural awareness, the city government’s drive to establish museums and contributions from the private sector are cited among the reasons behind the prevalence of museums in Tainan — the city that has a reputation as the cultural capital of the nation.
Since the Ministry of Culture began promoting its “Local Cultural Museums Project” in 2002, Tainan has seen the establishment of 26 publicly funded and 15 privately funded museums, compared with the number of museums established in Kaohsiung (28), Taichung (22) and Yilan County (20).
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Taipei Times
“As the public gains greater awareness of the uniqueness of their local culture, we are also seeing an increase in the number of folk museums,” Tainan Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山) said.
Tainan’s museums include the Taiwan Blackfoot Disease Socio-Medical Service Memorial House, on the site of a former clinic in Beimen District (北門) run by Wang King-ho (王金河), a doctor popularly known as the “Father of Blackfoot Disease.”
As the first medical-themed museum in Taiwan, it commemorates the introduction of podiatric medicine to Chiayi and Tainan counties in 1957. Its operation is supported by the Wang King-ho Culture and Arts Foundation.
Established by Kang Wun-rong (康文榮) and the Tainan Sinhua District Office, the Yang Kuei Culture Memorial Hall celebrates the literary works of prominent novelist Yang Kui (楊逵), who lived during the Japanese colonial period.
Yang’s most famous work, The Newspaper Man (新聞配達夫), was first written in Japanese. The hall also features a special exhibit to commemorate actor Ou Wei (歐威), a two-time recipient of the Golden Horse Best Actor award.
Meanwhile, the Collapsed-Style Inner Sea Story House in the Madou Old Harbor Cultural and Creative Park has a unique facade that gives first-time visitors the impression that it is ready to topple over.
The style combines the use of red bricks found in Han and Hokkien architecture with bamboo pipes used in traditional Siraya structures. The visual effect is reminiscent of a boat entering or leaving the harbor.
The story house is operated by the Yeh Arts Center and houses cultural relics excavated from the area, putting locals in touch with the cultures of those who lived there before them.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS