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.
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