A museum with a collection of 3,000 teddy bears in Hsinchu County held a grand opening on Thursday in what used to be an illegal property.
The building housing the One Bear Museum, situated in Guansi Township (關西), was initially an illegal structure and Hsinchu County has since 2013 spent NT$20 million (US$654,643) to make it a productive and legal property, Hsinchu County Commissioner Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) said.
After making improvements, the county in July last year awarded the contract to operate the museum to a private entity, he said.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
One stuffed bear, the first of 25 prototypes made of Duffy the Disney Bear and estimated to be worth US$250,000 to US$3 million in open auction, is among the collection’s most valuable, the museum said.
Another rare item is a black teddy made by Steiff in 1912, part of a limited run that became associated with the sinking of the RMS Titanic the same year, the museum said.
Christie’s reportedly sold one for US$4 million, it added.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
There are also stuffed bears styled after celebrities including Albert Einstein, Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe in the basement, and one 3.5m giant teddy, the museum said.
The first floor of the museum is themed “cultures of the world,” with teddies featuring in displays about Hsinchu’s Hakka cultural heritage, with sanheyuan (三合院) houses and floral-cloth making.
The second floor has digital interactive displays and a special zone for miniature stuffed bears, including one that is believed to be the world’s smallest, at 1cm tall, and a teddy-themed recreation of Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.
Entry fee for the One Bear Museum is NT$280 per adult and NT$180 per child of 12 or younger.
Accompanied children under 3 years of age or 90cm can enter free of charge, while residents of Guansi qualify for a 50 percent discount upon presenting their national ID card.
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