Southern Taiwan’s National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts opened in October 2018 as the world’s largest performing arts venue under one roof and was named Weiwuying after the old site of a former military base where it is located.
Adjacent to a 47-hectare metropolitan park, the largest of its kind in the country, the center houses a 2,236-seat opera house, 1,981-seat concert hall, 1,210-seat playhouse, and a 434-seat recital hall. In addition, an outdoor theater is formed through an architectural feature where the roof dips down to meet the ground.
Weiwuying is the world’s largest performing arts venue under one roof. (Courtesy of Weiwuying)
Within months of opening, Weiwuying hosted globally renowned companies such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, joining the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei City as a world-class performing arts center.
According to Weiwuying General and Artistic Director Chien Wen-pin, the contoured shape of the building is the result of technical cooperation with local shipbuilders in Kaohsiung, home to Taiwan’s largest harbor. The unique design was named one of the “World’s 100 Greatest Places” by Time magazine in 2019.
The center’s concert hall, equipped with the largest pipe organ in Asia, has seats surrounding all sides of the stage. (Courtesy of Weiwuying)
The center has been widely lauded as a model for public input on major construction projects. The government originally slated the site for commercial and residential development before a local civil campaign began in the early 1990s demanding the land be used for the whole community.
While many other public institutions were set up following decisions by high-ranking policymakers, Weiwuying is unique in its grassroots origin, Chien said. Integration of public multipurpose areas into Weiwuying’s design is evident at Banyan Plaza, a wide span of roofed open space extending across the main building’s ground floor.
It features a piano that any visitor can use, so that anyone can be transformed into a pianist the moment they sit down to play. Easy access to the musical instrument is a mirror of the intention to narrow the gap between art and the public who use the space.
The artistic director is pleased to see Weiwuying serve as a catalyst for public interest in the performing arts and feels it places Kaohsiung on an equal footing with Taipei. Acting as a hub integrating arts, recreation and tourism, the facility has added another cosmopolitan touch to the cityscape as Kaohsiung grows beyond its port identity. (E) (By Pat Gao)
A nocturnal view of Weiwuying (Courtesy of Weiwuying)
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(This article is adapted from “Arts Colossus” in the September/October issue of Taiwan Review. The Taiwan Review archives dating to 1951 are available online.)