Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park in the central Taiwan city has been relaunched as the Cultural Heritage Park with a new mission to focus on heritage restoration technology.
The reopening of the 5.6-hectare park is part of the government’s commitment to the fields of heritage restoration and preservation, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture said July 30.
A former Japanese-era (1895-1945) brewery run by the bureau and opened in 2009, the park was a popular venue for art exhibitions, lectures and performances. Under its revised mandate, the CHP, a national-level cultural and creative park, will host R&D facilities on heritage restoration and preservation.
At the relaunch ceremony, Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun said the preservation of Taiwan’s rich tangible and intangible cultural assets needed both government and public support, while pledging extra funds for the park.
Earlier in the day, the bureau awarded certificates of completion to seven apprentices in traditional performing arts spanning disciplines from glove puppetry, Taiwanese opera, to the nose and mouth flute—a traditional instrument from Taiwan’s indigenous Paiwan tribe.
The MOC has been recognizing craftspeople and performers as national treasures since 2009 and helping to ensure their skills are passed down to the next generation. Showing its commitment to strengthening the preservation of Taiwan’s intangible cultural heritage, the ministry will triple the budget for work in this area to around NT$300 million (US$9.8 million) next year from 2018. (CPY-E)
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