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.
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