Taiwan Today

Cafe Astoria on Wuchang Road has been designated a heritage building to better preserve modern literary and cultural memory, Taipei City officials said April 15. “Since its founding in 1949, the Cafe Astoria has nurtured countless authors, and has become an important place of interest on Taipei’s literary map,” Michael Teng, a division chief in Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs said. Teng said the ongoing Wuchang Road renovation project should include preservation of the Cafe Astoria’s interior and facade. “The cafe’s style in the 1960s and 1970s should also be restored,” Teng said. “The literary connections to famous writers who have been associated with the cafe, such as the poet Chou Meng-tieh, ought to be part of the preservation effort,” he added. The cafe’s name, Teng said, and its original use have to be maintained as well. Also added to the city’s heritage sites was the Japanese torri in Linseng Park near Nanjing East Road. The torri guards the tomb of Akashi Motojiro, who was the only colonial governor buried in Taiwan during Japanese rule (1895-1945), according to the Taipei City Government. (SB)