A new permanent exhibition showcasing Taiwan’s journey toward being a vibrant democratic society and a tech powerhouse has recently opened at the Presidential Office building in Taipei.
The exhibition, Together as One with Taiwan: The Ark of Democracy, is the first during the tenure of President William Lai (賴清德) and emphasizes the democratic values that are “most cherished” in Taiwan, said the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), the main organizer.
The Presidential Office’s permanent exhibitions are updated every four years to align with the tenure of the president, it said.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan is presented as “an ark” in the Pacific Ocean and its citizens as the “navigators” of the vessel, the association said of the message embodied in the exhibition.
As everyone works together with “democracy as [their] compass” and “under the banner of freedom, human rights and the rule of law,” the ark, propelled by advanced technology, would “sail toward the world,” it added.
Democracy is the “foundation” of Taiwanese society, and the exhibition seeks to capture this through images of key moments from social movements that contributed to the nation’s democratization, the association said.
The exhibition also highlights Taiwan’s tech prowess by featuring Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing cofounder Morris Chang’s (張忠謀) manuscripts and the remnants of the first chip wafers produced in Taiwan, among other objects symbolizing the country’s technological achievements.
Real-time images of views from Xiangshan (象山) in Taipei, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Techi Dam in Taichung, the Dongyin Visitor Center in the outlying island of Matsu and other views of Taiwan’s natural landscape are exhibited, it said.
The exhibition is free of charge, but entry to the Presidential Office building requires identification.
The building is accessible to visitors from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday, and usually on the first Saturday of every month from 8am to 4pm.
The GACC is a government-funded organization, headed by Lai and tasked with expanding Taiwan’s cultural outreach.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by