Taiwan Today

Four innovative projects across Taiwan underscore government efforts to foster the development of the cultural and creative sector.

Taiwan’s cultural and creative sector has recorded impressive growth over the past decade or so. Government statistics show that industry revenue rose from NT$435 billion to $794 billion (US$13.4 billion to $24.4 billion) between 2002 and 2014, while the number of people working in the sector increased from approximately 160,000 to 250,000 during the same period.

This rapid expansion is in large part due to government-led industry promotion projects. In 2002, the cultural and creative sector was for the first time included in Taiwan’s national development plan. Later, in 2010, the government cemented its efforts to foster the long-term growth of the sector by promulgating the Law for the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries.

To date, central and local authorities have devised a variety of programs to cultivate the sector, ranging from high-profile renovation projects to talent development initiatives. In addition to boosting economic growth and employment, these programs have served to enhance Taiwan’s tourism resources and inspire a new generation of artists and cultural entrepreneurs.

Huashan 1914 Creative Park (Taipei)

A major architectural and historical attraction, Huashan 1914 Creative Park is a multipurpose complex in the heart of Taipei. Originally built as a distillery, the site traces its origins back to the period of Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). Work on the facility began in 1914 and by the 1920s it had become one of the largest distilleries on the island.

After World War II, the site was operated for more than four decades by the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau, which was incorporated and renamed Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp. in 2002. The monopoly bureau discontinued operations at the distillery in 1987 and the facility sat unused for more than a decade.

Inspired by the atmosphere of the old complex, the Golden Bough Theatre troupe illegally staged plays there in 1997. When members of the performing arts group were charged with trespassing on state-owned property, local artists began petitioning the government to repurpose the site as a cultural center.

The Taiwan Provincial Government, which had overseen the monopoly bureau, was streamlined in 1998 and the Council for Cultural Affairs, now the Ministry of Culture, took over management of the complex. In 2002, the council initiated a restoration project with the aim of transforming the facility into a cultural and creative park.

Since opening in 2005, the 7.21-hectare site has grown into one of Taiwan’s most vibrant cultural centers. A wide variety of events are now held at the renovated structures scattered throughout the complex. A remodeled warehouse, for example, has become a celebrated live music venue, Legacy Taipei. And a former packaging facility is now a popular art house cinema, Spot Theater.

The park regularly hosts concerts, exhibitions, lectures, theatrical shows and workshops. The site is also home to stores selling locally crafted designer goods as well as stylish bars and restaurants. On weekends, it stages a bazaar offering all manner of handicrafts and food items. Once a dilapidated distillery, Huashan 1914 Creative Park now features a delightful melange of art, dining, entertainment and historical attractions.

Reach for the Stars Program (Taichung)

While startups in most industries struggle early on due to a lack of funding and business expertise, these problems are typically more acute in the cultural and creative sector. In 2014, with the aim of helping young cultural entrepreneurs overcome such obstacles, the Taichung City Government established the Reach for the Stars Program, an initiative that provides subsidies and low-cost office space to new ventures.

Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 40 and be registered residents of the city. Successful candidates are awarded monthly grants of NT$33,000 (US$1,015) for a period of one year. The funding can be extended for a second year depending on a startup’s progress.

To provide entrepreneurs with adequate work space, municipal authorities renovated vacant public properties in the city’s Tanzi, West and Wufeng districts, converting them into a total of 108 studio units. Participants in the scheme rent the work spaces at preferential rates.

The Taichung-based Footwear and Recreation Technology Research Institute (FRTRI) has been commissioned by the city government to manage the program. The institute has many years of experience running a business incubation center on behalf of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

While the initiative gives priority to startups in the e-commerce and cultural and creative sectors, it is open to entrepreneurs from a variety of industries. More than 600 applications were submitted in the first year of the program. The 108 successful applicants began their residencies at the work spaces in August last year, developing businesses in such areas as arts education, bread making, farming, leather carving and the performing arts.

FRTRI staff members provide participants with a wide portfolio of consulting services covering business management, financial planning, marketing and sales. The city government is hopeful that the initiative will help lead to the establishment of a cultural and creative industry cluster in the central municipality.

Pier-2 Art Center (Kaohsiung)

The Pier-2 Art Center is a sprawling cultural and creative park in Yancheng District of southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. Formerly an abandoned warehouse complex, the site was transformed by government authorities and members of local cultural circles into a venue for artistic creation and experimentation in the early 2000s.

In the years since, the center has become a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. The warehouses have been repurposed as exhibition venues and stores selling cultural products. The complex is also dotted with public artworks. Since 2006, the Kaohsiung City Government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs has organized a range of cultural events and art fairs at the center, such as the Kaohsiung Design Festival and Kaohsiung International Steel & Iron Sculpture Festival.

At the beginning of last year, the Pier-2 Art Center launched an artist-in-residence project. Under the program, the city government subsidizes residencies at the site, typically for periods of around three months. The program is open to locals and foreigners. As of March this year, 37 artists, including seven from Taiwan, had taken part in the project.

Also since the start of 2015, the center has been offering retail spaces to emerging Taiwanese cultural and creative product designers. Successful applicants receive subsidies from the local government and can operate stores in the center for between three and six months. Nearly 20 emerging designers have thus far taken part in the initiative. Among the current participants is Yan Chen Metal Workshop, which is using its retail space to sell jewelry and stage metalworking classes.

Tiehua Music Village (Taitung)

Located in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung City, Tiehua Music Village is among the most unique cultural centers in the nation. Opened in July 2010, the venue is next to the decommissioned Taitung Railway Station and occupies buildings that once served as dormitories for Taiwan Railways Administration staff. Today, these structures play host to concerts by both emerging and established artists.

Tiehua Music Village hosts performances from Wednesday to Sunday every week. On Fridays and Saturdays, the venue arranges complementary music shows by well-known acts, while on Wednesdays it welcomes newcomers. The other days typically feature appearances by singers and groups that have developed a following among local audiences. The site has also hosted a contest for rock groups every summer since 2011.

As Taitung County is home to many members of Taiwan’s indigenous communities, Tiehua Music Village has become a powerful platform for aboriginal singers and groups. Among the aboriginal acts that have performed at the venue are pop diva A-mei and award-winning rock band Matzka.

Music aside, Tiehua Music Village hosts the Slow Bazaar from Friday to Sunday each week. The fair, which reflects the laid-back mood of the region, offers visitors an opportunity to sample locally grown produce and purchase handicrafts that highlight aspects of the county’s culture, such as lanterns shaped like hot-air balloons from Taitung’s annual Taiwan International Balloon Festival.

PHOTO CREDITS: Chang Su-ching, Chen Mei-ling, Chin Hung-hao, Chuang Kung-ju, Richard Chung, Huang Chung-hsin, Kuo Han-chen, Jimmy Lin, Appier Inc., Bocheng Long-term Care Services, Carbon-Based Technology Inc., Central News Agency, CommonWealth Magazine, Democratic Progressive Party, Executive Yuan, International Cooperation and Development Fund, Kaohsiung City Government, Kavalan Distillery, Legislative Yuan, Linking Publishing, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New Power Party, Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, Taoyuan City Government, United Daily News

ILLUSTRATIONS AND INFOGRAPHICS: Cho Yi-ju, Yui Han, Kao Shun-hui