A cultural park on the site of the former Taichung Prison is to be transformed into a national comics museum, and is scheduled to open by the end of the year, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said on Saturday.
Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) delivered a report on the comics museum in his first Cabinet meeting after taking office on Jan. 31, Cheng said.
After years of discussion, the Natural Way Six Arts Cultural Center was chosen as the site of the planned museum, he added.
Photo: CNA
The complex houses a gym that dates back to 1937 and was used by prison officers to practice judo and kendo during the Japanese colonial era.
In 1945, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government took over the facility from the Japanese government, it was repurposed as Taichung Prison.
The Ministry of Culture in 2020 announced that it had selected the Empire Sugar Factory, another historic site dating back to the Japanese colonial era, as a site for the museum.
However, that plan was eventually shelved due to disputes over land ownership.
Calling comic books by local artists “part of Taiwan’s collective memory,” Cheng said the Cabinet would give the museum its full support by allocating sufficient funds for its planning and construction.
The Ministry of Culture should plan the museum to be easily accessible, allowing people to experience the magic of Taiwanese comics and giving Taichung a new cultural landmark, Cheng said.
The plan to establish the museum was unveiled in 2017 by then-Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), with the objective to showcase the works of Taiwanese manga artists and to make Taichung a hub for the local comics industry.
The Ministry of Culture plans to open the museum and start holding exhibitions by the end of this year in light of popular demand, Shih said.
The museum and its surrounding area would occupy more than 2 hectares, including the plot where the former prison dormitories are, he said.
Contrary to traditional designs, the museum would not be one building, but would comprise 19 Japanese buildings and one planned building, he said.
The museum complex would serve as a venue for comic creation, markets, research, archives and exhibitions, he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor