The former Tainan Weather Observatory, which is now a museum, was reopened to the public yesterday after six months of restoration work, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Established in 1898, the observatory was one of the few weather observation facilities built in the Japanese colonial era, the bureau said, adding that it is the nation’s oldest meteorological facility.
The observatory on Gongyuan Road is an uncommon octadecagonal structure with a tower protruding from its center, it said.
Photo copied by Wang Chun-chung, Taipei Times
Because of its artistic value, the observatory was designated a historical site by the Tainan City Government in 1998 and was upgraded to a national historical site in 2003.
However, its facade and tower were damaged during the Southern Taiwan earthquake in 2016 — a magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃) that produced level 5 shaking in Tainan, the bureau said.
To preserve the site and ensure the safety of visitors, the bureau closed the facility to reinforce it and repair equipment used to observe the weather and detect earthquakes, it said.
Visitors yesterday were given the chance to see how a meteorologist in Japanese colonial-era Taiwan worked, with some allowed to climb the tower, which has equipment to measure wind speeds.
Chang Yu-huang (張玉煌), who was in charge of the restoration, introduced the key points of the work.
Meanwhile, the Southern Region Weather Center, which is next to the observatory, has refurbished in astronomical and maritime sections in its meteorological science exhibition hall on the fifth floor, the bureau said.
Admission to the observatory and exhibition halls are free, it said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS