Greater Kaohsiung Director--General of Cultural Affairs Shih Che (史哲) criticized the Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday, accusing it of trying to “sell historic monuments” after it asked the city government to buy land it owns in the city on which stands a building listed as historically significt.
At issue is a two-story building named Hsiao Yao Yuan (逍遙園), constructed in 1939 during the Japanese colonial era to serve as a resort for a member of the Japanese Imperial family.
Many have spoken out in favor of conserving the dilapidated structure since a postgraduate student from National Kaohsiung Normal University took all her clothes off during a show at a gallery on Sunday. The show was performed to raise awareness of the need to conserve this historic monument, said artist Hsu Min-ssu (徐敏思).
Faced with public outcry over its failure to maintain the 72-year-old building, the ministry said that it has no expertise in the conservation of cultural monuments and asked the city government to purchase the land so that the house could be properly renovated.
Shih said he would not accept the sale of the land because it was tantamount to “selling historic monuments.”
Shih added that he would not allow Hsiao Yao Yuan to be dismantled. The city’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs is conducting a study into the feasibility of renovating the building and will spend then next few days examining the structure to see if it has fallen into disrepair as a result of long-term mismanagement, he added.
Hsiao Yao Yuan was designated a site of historical importance in January last year, which means that the owner and government institutes are required to allocate a budget for its preservation, repair and maintenance under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法).
However, the act fails to stipulate punishments for those who fail to observe this regulation.
According to the bureau, the ministry plans to tear down the Hsing Jen New Village (行仁新村), a military dormitory village that includes Hsiao Yao Yuan, by the end of the year. However, the demolition will not include the historic building, an official from the city’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Center said.
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