Campaigners called for the formal withdrawal of expansion plans for the National Palace Museum yesterday, after National Palace Museum Director Lin Jeng-yi (林正儀) said earlier this week that the plans were “on hold” following a fall in the number of visitors.
“Even though the director has stated that the expansion is ‘on hold,’ does that mean it could possibly be resumed?” Lien Yan-tsun (練燕村) of the Dashuangxi Lovers of the Land Alliance said.
“The project was always unnecessary and highly problematic, so we feel that the director shouldn’t just put it ‘on hold,’ it should be canceled and the environmental review withdrawn,” Lien said.
The museum had previously said that the NT$22 billion (US$703 million) construction project on 20.6 hectares was necessary to accommodate an expected increase in visitor numbers, but it drew criticism for including large commercial areas, as well as the potential environmental impact of the expansive underground construction.
The museum earlier this week announced that visitor numbers had decreased 5 percent year-on-year, with a 40 percent reduction in the number of Chinese tour groups only partially mitigated by increases in the number from elsewhere.
Lin said earlier this week that the decline in the number of Chinese tourists could be attributed to both political and economic factors.
The opening of the museum’s southern branch in Chiayi County in December last year is also thought to be partly responsible for the decrease in the number of visitors.
“Even tough there has been a fall in the number visitors, [Lin] is probably just trying to give himself a way out” of the project, Lien said after the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee canceled the funding for the project.
Additional reporting by Yang Yuan-ting
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