The Taichung City Government yesterday urged Legislative Deputy Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) to refrain from politicizing cultural and historic issues, following Hung’s criticism of the city government’s plan to repair a collapsed torii in the city.
A torii is a structure marking the entrance to a traditional Japanese Shinto shrine, with two vertical poles and a horizontal beam across the top.
In response to Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung’s (林佳龍) announcement that the city government plans to renovate Taichung Park (台中公園), where the torii is located, to recover the city’s “past glory,” and “historical identity,” Hung said on Facebook that the move praises the nation’s colonial rulers and “twists cultural identity.”
Photo: Loa Iok-sin, Taipei Times
“The torii of the [former] Shinto shrine is a symbol of how the Japanese colonial rulers tried to forcibly destroy Taiwanese traditions; it is a humiliating reminder of colonialism, and represents no Taiwanese identity and spirit,” Hung said. “If there is any historical resonance to it, what is it other than the pain Taiwan had to suffer once it became a colony? If there is historical identity, what is there besides Japanized identity? How could our local government head so brutally castrate our so-called ‘historical identity,’ praise the colonialists and call it ‘past glory?’”
Taichung City Information Bureau Director-General Cho Kuan-ting (卓冠廷) disagreed with Hung, saying that the torii could enrich the cultural landscape of the park.
“Our project is not only about repairing the torii, the plan is to renovate Taichung park, and repair all the attractions and buildings in the park — including the Taichung Park Pavilion, the North Gate, Zhongzheng Bridge and the night watch tower — and make all of them cultural landmarks in the city,” Cho said. “Repairing the Torii has nothing to do with the debate over cultural identity, it is about respecting history, and allowing cultural diversity in this country.”
Built in 1908, Taichung Park is the oldest park in the city and the twin pavilion standing in the middle of the park’s lake is often described as a symbol of the city.
In the colonial period, there was a Japanese Shinto shrine called Taichu Jinja in the park.
After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the incoming Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime tore down the main building of the shrine, but the remains of the torn-down torii have been left lying in the park.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A New Taipei City hotpot restaurant could be fined after a rat dropped from the ceiling and landed on a customer’s plate last week, the New Taipei City Department of Health said yesterday after conducting an inspection. A woman recently posted on the “I am a Banciao resident” (我是板橋人) social media group saying that she had been eating with a friend at Chien Tu Shabu Shabu Hotpot Restaurant’s Shuangshi B branch in Banciao District (板橋). “While still eating, a big rat suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on a plate next to a hotpot,” she said. “Later on, a member of
A new poll of Taiwanese voters found the top opposition candidate for president jumping past the ruling party’s hopeful into the lead position ahead of January’s election — the latest twist in a drama-filled race. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had an approval rating of 31.9 percent versus 29.2 percent for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the poll released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed. The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), ranked third with 23.6 percent, according to the survey conducted
INCENTIVES: The province’s ‘21 measures’ include enhanced agricultural loans for Taiwanese farmers, and rent waivers and housing subsidies for Taiwanese start-ups China’s Fujian Province on Monday began implementing 15 economic measures targeting Taiwanese in its latest bid to fan pro-Beijing sentiment ahead of the Jan. 13 elections. Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said the policies were part of “21 measures” unveiled in September by China for Fujian’s “integrated cross-strait development demonstration zone.” The partially implemented measures, which were created with input from Beijing, include reducing the wait time for Taiwanese applying for a visa from 20 days to five days and free public transit for Taiwanese older than 65, it said. Residents of Taiwan were granted use of the “all provincial Taiwanese entrepreneur compatriot
RSS