Taiwan Today

Huashan 1914 Creative Park turbocharges the development of Taiwan’s arts and culture from the heart of its capital city.

  For Kevin Lin (林厚進), one of the most important business decisions he made last year was finding a home for his company in Huashan 1914 Creative Park. “Of my company’s five locations in Taipei City, the Huashan store generates the most revenue,” said Lin, founder of Mr. Sci Science Factory. The company sells a wide range of science education products from grow-your-own crystal geodes for kids to reproduction 16th century brass astrolabes for adults, combining function and fun for all age groups.

Lin’s business is one of many in the cultural and creative industries thriving in Huashan, which sits on the site of a disused rice wine distillery established in 1914—hence the year in the park’s full name. After undergoing a major restoration in the early 2000s, Huashan is now one of the top cultural venues in Taipei. Visitors can enjoy activities like exhibitions, performances, shopping and dining at chic establishments, all in repurposed historic buildings. The 7-hectare park is also host to Spot Theater, which was transformed from a packaging factory into a cozy cinema managed by the nonprofit Taiwan Film and Culture Association.

  The rest of Huashan has been operated by Taiwan Creative Industry Development Co. (TCID) since 2007. According to company reports, 657 events took place in the park in 2021, with 2.03 million visits to the site throughout the year. The popularity of the venue owes much to its location in the capital, but its well-preserved industrial heritage is also key.


Great Estate 
Originally three structures in the park were designated as historical buildings by the municipal government, but as of 2021 the number has increased to 12. Natural features also received attention: last year eight of Huashan’s trees were added to the local government’s preservation list, bringing the park’s total of recognized “old trees” to 11. The protected status of both has simultaneously added to the park’s charms and heightened pressures on its operator. “Preserving and repairing architectural assets is a complicated and expensive challenge,” explained Lee Cheng-fang (李正芳), chief strategy officer at TCID.
  That being said, TCID’s attention to conservation and the caliber of events has paid off. For six consecutive years the company operated at a loss, but as Huashan’s name recognition grew, the venture started to turn a profit. According to Lee, one major factor in Huashan’s success is the diversity of retail offerings in the park, where visitors can shop for a wide range of items spanning vinyl records, creative stationery and craft beer. Rental discounts are given to establishments such as boutique bookstores that attract a specific demographic to the site, even if they might only generate modest sales.

Weekend outdoor markets are another part of TCID’s strategy for cultivating a wide variety of creative up-and-comers. The company identifies businesses with potential and invites them to join a cluster of stalls in an indoor market in Huashan for a trial period. Some of the chosen advance to the pop-up shop stage, at which point they have the opportunity to market products in an independent space.

“We provide an opening for them to test the market without having to spend big money on long-term leases for retail spaces and interior design,” Lee said. “In addition, as they grow in visibility and strength, sales channels like department stores can approach them to discuss cooperative campaigns.”

  Belief in diversity is also evident in the kaleidoscopic mix of cultural events taking place in Huashan, from exhibitions and performances to seminars and workshops. “Aside from political and religious activities, we welcome any event that can inspire people,” Lee said. Huashan has hosted or co-hosted large-scale events with national and international impact. A recent example was 2022’s inaugural “Illustration Taipei,” a show that attracted artists from nine countries and territories and brought nearly 200 works to the city.

Helping Hand 
As TCID has helped the park generate substantial revenue, estimated to have reached NT$328 million (US$10.6 million) in 2021, Huashan has consolidated its status in Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries. “We’re taking the initiative to connect with the world beyond Taipei and exert greater influence,” Lee said. One result of these endeavors is the link between Huashan and Ming Hsing Ke Glove Puppet Theatre. Founded more than six decades ago in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County, the group has long enjoyed fame in the region.

In 2020 Lin Pu (林璞), Huashan’s art director, traveled to Pingtung to join a jury tasked with choosing performing arts groups to receive support from the local government. Lin invited Ming Hsing Ke, one of the selected troupes, to debut at Huashan. Although in recent years the group has courted a wider audience through increasingly sophisticated productions, the company’s management still had doubts about its target demographic. “Initially we were wary of going to Huashan because its visitors are mostly young people who are purportedly less interested in traditional theater. On the other hand, they’re the main cohort we must woo to broaden our audience,” said troupe spokesperson Su Yueh-chen (蘇玥禎). With this goal in mind, in January 2021 the troupe traveled north for an experience that wound up far exceeding their expectations. 

Its five performances, staged in one of Huashan’s major theater spaces, saw an average attendance rate of 40 percent, an encouraging figure in light of the pandemic. “The support and approval from Taipei-based theater professionals were especially heartening,” Su said. “Huashan clearly illustrated our growth potential.”

Elevating Creators 
  As Huashan continues its cultural and creative outreach, its Being Project assists groups with implementing their big ideas. The project annually selects three teams who have put forward innovative plans and provides them with Huashan’s full range of resources, from activity spaces for events like press conferences to financial support of up to NT$400,000 (US$12,900).

For Wednesday Pu (卜唯平), director of PH7 Creative Lab, partnership with Huashan is particularly beneficial because the park is synonymous with style and creativity. The 10-person company founded in central Taiwan’s Taichung City in 2011 was one of the groups chosen for the project last year on the strength of its plan to upgrade Taiwan’s agricultural sector through design. It has worked with more than 20 farmers’ associations around Taiwan to rebrand local produce by redesigning packaging and retail spaces to incorporate local cultures.

“On our 10th anniversary, we wanted to figure out how we could level up. That’s why we applied for the Being Project,” Pu said. For much of the last year, the company devoted itself to carrying out its winning proposal to spotlight Taiwan’s agriculture. It shot four films documenting the studio’s achievements in cooperation with selected farmers’ associations. The studio also organized an online Taiwan-Malaysia forum in which representatives from four farmers’ associations that have worked closely with PH7 exchanged experiences with a Malaysian organic food enterprise and another working on regional revitalization. A physical exhibition in Malaysia’s George Town showcased Taiwan-branded products including coffee, jasmine tea and wax apples positioned as high-end exports.
  “Taiwan’s first-rate agricultural products should be recognized by more people at home and abroad, and our company is dedicated to this cause,” Pu said. “Huashan, as a brand that generates attention for those it supports, definitely helped.” As a result of the partnership with Huashan, Pu’s design house is flourishing, as are other aspirants in the cultural and creative industries like Ming Hsing Ke and Mr. Sci Science Factory. Balancing roles as a recreational retail, performance and exhibition venue, Huashan 1914 Creative Park is a model for the sector’s development.
 

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw