A short video made as part of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Chi Mei Corp explains founder Shi Wen-long’s (許文龍) lifelong dream of building his own museum.
Shi made his wish come true when he founded the Chimei Museum in 1992 in his hometown, Tainan.
At a news conference for the release of the video last month, the 92-year-old Shi said he hoped to impress upon others that they could succeed through hard work, and to remind them that if they do succeed, they should give back to society.
Photo:Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times
The video, The Origin of a Wish (心願的起源), was directed by artist Yang Shi-yi (楊士毅) and highlights Shi’s boyhood fascination with a small local museum that was open to the public free of charge.
Shi’s family was poor, and he loved to spend time at the museum. In the video he recounts how the items he saw as a child piqued his fascination with collecting and made him determined to open a free museum of his own.
“I have sowed this seed; even though it is only one seed to start with, but I hope it can grow strong, last forever, and be enjoyed by future generations,” Shi says in the video.
He told the news conference that he hoped young people would be inspired by the way he was as a youngster, and will also give back to society when they are older.
In the film, Shi as a youngster is portrayed by a student from the same elementary school that he attended, and some scenes were filmed at the National Tainan Second Senior High School, which used to house the museum Shi loved as a child, the Chimei Museum said.
The Chimei Museum is known for having the world’s largest collectionsof violins, as well as extensive weapons and sculpture collections, and deputy director Patricia Liao (廖婉如) said she is often asked why its collections are predominantly from Europe.
It is a reflection of Shi’s experiences as a child, but “the main reason is that Shi wanted to share something with disadvantaged people who cannot afford to travel abroad. This way they can enjoy works from around the world here in Taiwan,” she said.
The Chimei Museum has been open for 18 years, but hopefully the video will help the public realize its significance, she said.
The video is available on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=H573Q23sNaw) and has Chinese and English subtitles.
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