Thu, Sep 13, 2001 page11

• Historic sites to open their doors

  This weekend more than 300 historic sites around the country will be open to the public free of charge as part of the international Heritage Days events

  • By Derek Lee / STAFF REPORTER
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  For the first time ever in Taiwan, this weekend all major historical sites throughout the country, including those usually closed to the public, will be open to visitors, free of charge.

  On Saturday and Sunday the public will be able to visit historical monuments, architectural sites, art galleries, museums and the Presidential Office as part of the international Heritage Days.

  

  Control Yuan The Control Yuan, a three-story Renaissance-style building, was built in 1915 with an elegant courtyard in its middle, a classical Roman shrine dome, 12 dormer windows for natural indoor lighting and double Greek columns. Its neo-classical windows are distinguished by semi-circular triple sash and keystone designs. Inside the building, the round hall is 16m tall and is surrounded by 18 Greek 3m-tall columns. The roofs of its two wings are in the French Mansard style. photo: Chiang Ying-ying, taipei times

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  The event, held each year on the third weekend of September, was first initiated by France's Ministry of Culture and Communication in 1984 and has since been adopted in many countries across Europe.

  

  Taipei Judicial Building The Taipei Judicial Building, located just south of the Presidential Office, was built in 1934. This building, which has never been open to the public in the past, is powered by a series of batteries located in its basement. The building's architecture was strongly influenced by European modernism and eschewed the ornate and complex decorations of the other neo-classical buildings built by the Japanese, following a simpler, brighter and clearer design style. The building was constructed with reenforced concrete, steel and bricks and has an outer layer of light-green ceramic tiles intended to camouflage it from air attack. The building has a tower at its center with an octagonal roof and is decorated with a wave pattern.

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  According to Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀), head of Taiwan's Council for Cultural Affairs, the purpose of the Heritage Days is "to make sure the concept of preserving cultural heritage in Taiwan is in step with the rest of the world." The program will "help alert the Taiwanese people to the importance of preserving their cultural heritage" and ensure that Taiwan's cultural legacy becomes part of the cultural heritage of the international community.

  Saturday will also mark the Hu-wei Fortress Historic Site Day (滬尾砲台古蹟日) in the northern port town of Tamsui. Ambassadors and representatives of foreign countries to Taiwan and non-governmental organizations will be invited to join the public for a variety of cultural performances.

  

  Taiwan Wine and Tobacco Monopoly Bureau This L-shaped building was first built in 1913 and was later expanded to its present size in 1922. Built during the Meiji Restoration, the architecture is in the British Renaissance style. The building housed the offices of the Japanese colonial administration's management of its monopolies over items that included opium, salt, sugar and camphor. Its 3m ceilings provide excellent ventilation and shade is provided in its courtyard by a large old banyan tree.

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  Tamsui, at the mouth of the Tamsui River, was guarded by Hu-wei Fortress beginning about 300 years ago, when Taiwan emerged as a key hub in emerging international trade. First established by the Spanish, the strategic location was the site of conflicts between colonial powers seeking to gain a foothold on the sea lanes which pass Taiwan.

  

  Taipei Guest House Built in 1901, the Taipei Guest House is an example of European Baroque design adopted by the Japanese colonial administration at the turn of the century. Construction on the mansion began in 1899 under the orders of then Japanese Colonial Governor Kodama Gentaro as a display of the glory of the Japanese empire in Taiwan. There are many classical double columns decorating the inner and outer structures of the building. Inside, exquisite crystal chandeliers hang on each reception ceiling. A Japanese garden with a large pond, several small stone bridges, a small hill and a Western-style pavilion surround the mansion. Tropical evergreens provide the mansion with flowers and soft fragrances almost year round.

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  In Taipei, the public will be able to visit the Presidential Office, the Control Yuan (監察院), the Taipei Guest House (台北賓館), the Taipei Judicial Building (司法大廈) and the Monopoly Bureau (專賣局), among other sites. These buildings were all constructed during the Japanese colonial occupation of Taiwan between 1895 and 1945. The Taipei Guest House was built in 1901 as the Japanese colonial governor's residence and is the oldest of the official buildings to be opened this weekend. The buildings offer representative examples of Japanese, British Victorian, Baroque and French Mansard architecture and design both inside and outside and in their gardens.

  The nationwide open house will involve more than 300 historic sites around Taiwan and on its outer islands. For more information on the sites and their opening hours, check with county or city cultural bureaus at the numbers provided at right.

  

  County and city culture bureaus

  ● Taipei County: (02) 2253-4412

  ● Taipei City: (02) 2345-1556

  ● Keelung City: (02) 2422-4170

  ● Taoyuan County: (03) 332-2592

  ● Hsinchu County: (03) 551-0201

  ● Hsinchu City: (03) 531-9756

  ● Miaoli County: (03) 735-2961

  ● Taichung County: (04) 628-0166

  ● Taichung City: (04) 372-7311

  ● Changhua County: (04) 725-0057

  ● Nantou County: (04) 923-1191

  ● Yunlin County: (05) 532-7613

  ● Chiayi County: (05) 379-9978

  ● Chiayi City: (05) 278-8225

  ● Tainan County: (06) 632-4116

  ● Tainan City: (06) 390-1016

  ● Kaohsiung County: (07) 626-2620

  ● Kaohsiung City: (07) 222-5136

  ● Pingtung County: (08) 736-0331

  ● Taitung County: (08) 932-0378

  ● Ilan County: (03) 932-2440

  ● Hualien County: (03)8227121

  ● Penghu County: (06) 926-1141

  ● Matsu: (08) 362-2393

  ● Kinmen: (08) 2328638
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