Artists are to be allowed unfettered use of the Dongju Island Lighthouse (東莒島燈塔) in Lienchiang County to create art, the Maritime Port Bureau said on March 14.
As most lighthouses are in remote areas and do not attract many tourists, the bureau wants to promote them by opening them up as bases of artistic creation, it said.
Artists can experience the life of a lighthouse worker on Matsu’s Dongju Island in Juguang Township (莒光) by using the facilities free of charge, the bureau said, adding that the program would allow works of literature, visual arts, performance arts, films, multimedia content or other works to be produced at the lighthouse from next month through July.
Photo: CNA
The bureau has been working on projects to boost lighthouse tourism since 2014, when it took over management of the facilities, and in 2016 it budgeted NT$20 million (US$649,330) to renovate and develop them.
It also set a goal to do a comprehensive inspection of Taiwan’s 36 lighthouses by next year, the bureau said.
In addition to installing electronic navigation systems in the lighthouses and improving their facilities, the bureau aims to make them educational facilities and tourist attractions.
The Dongju Island Lighthouse is a national historical site designated by the Ministry of Culture, the bureau said, adding that it is also a Matsu landmark.
Construction of the nation’s lighthouses began in 1868 and they survived China’s Qing Dynasty and the Japanese colonial era, it said.
Lighthouse architecture styles vary, but most of them are on hills, giving visitors a magnificent place from which to see the views, the bureau said.
Applications for people to use the Dongju Island Lighthouse — which are available on the bureau’s Web site at www.motcmpb.gov.tw/information_103_15612.html — would be reviewed and the bureau would announce those who are successful on Friday next week, the bureau said.
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