The Taichung Cultural Affairs Bureau is today to unveil an exhibition of artifacts discovered at facilities affiliated with the former Taichung Prison, giving visitors a glimpse into the lives of the Japanese colonizers at the time.
The main building of the former prison, built during the Japanese colonial period, no longer exists, but several affiliated buildings remain: a bathhouse, the Budokan martial arts hall, a governor’s mansion and a few dormitories.
The exhibition, titled “Construct, City within City — Go Back, Meet and Rediscover” (起造．城中城─穿越．遇見．再發現), is to be held at the former prison’s bathhouse and officials’ dormitory in the city’s West District (西區).
Photo: Su Meng-chuan,Taipei Times
The facilities are being renovated as part of a Ministry of Culture project to inject new life into historical sites, with the governor’s mansion and bathhouse scheduled to be opened to the public next year.
The Budokan is now the Natural Way Six Arts Cultural Center.
Speaking at a promotional event on Thursday, Downtown Renaissance Association chairman Su Jui-pi (蘇睿弼) said that the exhibition is to feature details about the government’s ongoing renovation of the facilities, as well as historical objects found during the construction, such as Japanese-style ridge tiles and vintage suitcases.
People can visit part of the bathhouse, where they can dip their feet in cold water, Su said, adding that the fence on the path from the bathhouse to the dormitory would showcase the stories of 54 of the city’s famous historical figures.
The bureau is holding a special event on Aug. 8, when up to 40 people can stay for a night at the dormitory, bureau Deputy Director-General Dennis Tseng (曾能汀) said.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
RSS