The NT$4.25 million (US$134,070) program is being carried out by local shipbuilders under the supervision of National Kaohsiung Marine University. Once work wraps up in 2016, the 29.5-meter-long and 7.26-meter-wide Taiwan Boat will serve as the centerpiece of a public maritime exhibition at Anping Harbor.
Lin Chiao-pin, head of Tainan Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, said the vessel is viewed as a significant investment by Tainan City Government in promoting local history and tourism. “It is important for today’s generations to better understand the historical background for the age of discovery.”
The craft was built by TCG in 2009 based on a blueprint found in a scroll “Drawings of Tang-era Ships” preserved by the Matsuura Historical Museum in Nagasaki, Japan. It resembled a type of warship used by Zheng, a Ming military leader who defeated Dutch colonists in 1662.
Embarking on its maiden voyage in December 2010, the ship was set to sail around Taiwan before traveling to Zheng’s birthplace, Hirado City, in Japan. Other plans included retracing the historic figure’s footsteps by visiting Taiwan’s outlying islands of Penghu and Kinmen, as well as Quanzhou in mainland China. But the expedition was cut short after the junk’s mast detached from the hull at sea.
“Due to design issues, the craft will never again take to the open water,” Lin said. “Its new mission is now a land-based one solely focusing on educating the youth.” (YHC-JSM)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw