Formosa Vintage Museum Cafe (秋惠文庫) in Taipei closed yesterday after seven years. The cafe showcased the nation’s history through founder Lin Yu-fang’s (林于昉) collectibles displayed throughout the shop.
The closing day drew a large crowd, seeking to preserve the memory of the building, which housed photographs and relics of the nation’s social and cultural history.
The cafe near the corner of Xinyi Road and Yongkang Street displayed a selection from Lin’s collection of more than 10,000 items, including some that date to the Dutch colonial and Martial Law eras.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Lin, 62, a former dentist, yesterday said that he had hopes to keep the exhibitions in his parents’ former third-floor apartment.
However, the family had other uses for the site, so he decided to donate some pieces to the National Museum of Taiwan History in Tainan, he said.
The other pieces are to be kept at the cafe for now, Lin added.
“Only with proof can history truly be given voice,” Lin said, adding that the promotion of Taiwanese history was no longer his burden to bear after the cafe’s closing.
Lin said he hopes the government would support national museums that archive and exhibit cultural and historical pieces, instead of sinking money into building infrastructure or high-rise buildings.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS