Taitung County’s Tiehua Music Village is to close by Dec. 31, because its organizer said it has completed its goal of helping the region develop.
Lovely Taiwan Foundation CEO Lee Ying-ping (李應平) on Friday said that the foundation initially wanted to present the best of Taiwan through local townships and villages, and the area around Tiehua Music Village has developed well over the past few years.
The aim of Tiehua, which was set up by the foundation in 2010, was to provide Taitung’s indigenous people with a stage to perform music.
Photo: Screen grab from Tiehua’s Facebook page
As Tiehua became popular, a lot of singers from Taiwan and abroad performed there, including Taiwanese singer-songwriter Crowd Lu (盧廣仲) and rock star Wu Bai (伍佰).
The news of its closure first came out on Thursday night, when the foundation posted a statement on Facebook.
The foundation said it appreciated all who have joined the village and worked together over the past 13 years, adding that they made Tiehua blossom.
Many local residents said that they were shocked at the news, and wondered if the foundation was under financial pressure.
In response to their questions, Lee said “the cost of running the village was not what we thought about the most, but whether the project had helped the region grow, and [sparked] motivation and opportunities.”
Tiehua Music Village would always be one of Taitung’s best memories, Lee said, adding that the foundation would continue working in areas such as Pingtung and Miaoli counties, and Taitung’s Chihshang Township (池上).
Meanwhile, Tiehua music director Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭捷任) said that the news came out quite abruptly, but as the foundation is a non-profit organization and has been considering a transformation for some time, it was time for a change.
However, the foundation’s goal to help develop local culture and education would remain the same, Cheng added.
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