The Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday reviewed the National Palace Museum’s budget for next year, making no cuts to the budget, but freezing a significant portion of it.
A total of NT$350 million (US$10.78 million) of the museum’s budget was frozen over concerns about the museum’s repairs, counterfeit items and its centennial celebration next year.
The museum should take bold action to address the sale of counterfeit cultural items under the museum’s name by Chinese merchants, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞) said.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
Some businesses on Chinese social media platforms claim to sell not only the museum’s products, but also supposedly “authorized” licenses, which are actually cultural relic licensing scams, Ko said.
If the museum does not strengthen enforcement, the centennial’s focus would be shifted to counterfeit merchants, he said.
Although the museum contacts sellers directly or through lawyers to request them to take down counterfeit items, the products reappear shortly after, museum director Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌) said.
The museum exercises its legal right to immediately address any cases of counterfeit or confusion among consumers, he said.
The Jadeite Cabbage is being sent to the Czech Republic next year for an exhibition and should be treated with a high standard during its visit, KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said.
Hung proposed freezing NT$300,000 of the budget until the museum submits a thorough report on the issue.
There is no clear narrative or proactive attitude from the museum about its centennial celebration plan, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said.
The museum could offer a different vision for this important centennial celebration and should submit a special report on the topic, she said.
The museum’s proposal for centennial souvenirs such as alcohol and coins is not creative enough, DPP Legislator Chen Hsiu-pao (陳秀?) said, proposing to freeze NT$2 million of the budget.
KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) and Ko Ju-chun expressed concerns about the museum’s plan to construct a glass pavilion.
Constructing a glass pavilion on the walkway to the museum would disrupt the historical architecture and increase energy consumption due to the greenhouse effect, Ko Ju-chun said.
The funding should only be unfrozen after the museum submits a written report, he added.
The pavilion is designed using lightweight materials and not entirely made of glass, and construction would follow the cultural heritage review by the Taipei City Government, Hsiao said.
The museum is a 60-year-old building that requires large-scale renovations to address issues such as water leakage, he added, urging legislators to support the museum in finding a permanent solution.
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