Late lyricist Lee Lin-chiu’s (李臨秋) son has bought back his father’s old residence, which was listed as a historical site in 2009, after it was auctioned to a buyer for NT$34.28 million (US$1.18 million at the current exchange rate) in April.
The residence would be renovated and used to promote the culture of Taiwanese folk songs, Lee Hsiu-chien (李修鑑), the 72-year-old son of Lee Lin-chiu, said on Friday.
Lee Lin-chiu wrote the lyrics for several well-known Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) songs, including Longing for the Spring Breeze (望春風), A Red Egg (一個紅蛋), Four Seasons of Red (四季紅), and Mending the Net (補破網).
Photo: Yang Hsin-hui, Taipei Times
Built in 1923 in Taipei’s historic Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area, the two-story residence was bought by the Lee family in 1953, Lee Hsiu-chien said, adding that his father had lived there until he passed away in 1979.
An ownership issue arose over the house, as the ground floor belonged to a family surnamed Kao (高), while Lee’s family owned the second floor. The Kao family filed for a partition of the rights to the building, which forced the April auction.
Although the buyer won the bidding, Lee Hsiu-chien said he had a first right of priority to purchase the house, as he is one of its original owners.
However, he almost gave up due to a lack of funds and considered buying a smaller house nearby instead to exhibit his father’s belongings.
Locals residents’ encouragement and assistance helped him to eventually gain full ownership of the house after four months of intensive fundraising, Lee Hsiu-chien added.
Renovations would begin next year to transform the house into a museum to display the manuscripts and daily items his father owned, he said.
The museum would play songs written by Lee Lin-chiu, sell coffee and tea, as well as special-edition memorabilia featuring his father, Lee Hsiu-chien said, adding that cultural lectures would be held from time to time.
The operation of the museum would not be too commercial, as the main goal of the site would be to promote the culture of traditional Taiwanese folk songs, he said, adding that he would come up with ways to inject new life into the old residence.
Lee Hsiu-chien expressed his special thanks to Chiu Chien-ping (邱建平), a Dadaocheng merchant, and Ninghsia Night Market Tourism Committee director-general Lin Ding-kuo (林定國) for their help in the fundraising process.
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