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Culture Minister Shih Che, along with Pingtung County Mayor Chou Chun-mi (周春米), paid a visit to Pingtung County on March 12, following his previous visits to Tainan and Taichung City, and inspected a number of historical sites that had undergone restoration under the Reconstruction of Historical Scenes project as well as exchanged ideas with local cultural and creative entrepreneurs. Minister Shih's first destination was a military base in Dawu (大武), the former site of the 8th Anti-Aircraft Division of the Japanese Army, which mainly served to protect the airfield during the period of Japanese colonial rule. In 2021, the base was recognized as a historical site, and, with the backing of the Ministry of Culture, 13 historical buildings within the base were preserved. Mayor Chou then led Minister Shih to visit the V.I.P Zone (勝利星村創意生活園區), a creative life park in Shengli Village, and a remains park in Desheng (得勝) Village to learn about the project of reconstructing historical sites which supports the reshaping of the street space in the Japanese dormitory complex, as well as the efforts made by the county government to form the distinctive community, with cultural and creative entrepreneurs setting up shops at the area. Minister Shih concluded his trip with a visit to the Pingtung 1936 Tobacco Culture Base (PT1936, 屏菸1936文化基地). Previously, MOC invested approximately NT$320 million dollars in preserving the industrial site as well as integrating art, culture, and technology to create cross-domain knowledge. The Minister commended the efforts made by the Pingtung County government in the restoration and reuse of cultural heritage sites, and he also pledged to support the Pingtung County Museums Project (屏東大博物館計畫) in the future. He hopes that the future county-level art museum and sports exploration museum will evolve into distinctive and unconventional museums in Pingtung County.

Minister Shih expresses support for Pingtung County Museums Project

2023-03-24
Culture Minister Shih Che, along with Pingtung County Mayor Chou Chun-mi (周春米), paid a visit to Pingtung County on March 12, following his previous visits to Tainan and Taichung City, and inspected a number of historical sites that had undergone restoration under the Reconstruction of Historical Scenes project as well as exchanged ideas with local cultural and creative entrepreneurs. Minister Shih's first destination was a military base in Dawu (大武), the former site of the 8th Anti-Aircraft Division of the Japanese Army, which mainly served to protect the airfield during the period of Japanese colonial rule. In 2021, the base was recognized as a historical site, and, with the backing of the Ministry of Culture, 13 historical buildings within the base were preserved. Mayor Chou then led Minister Shih to visit the V.I.P Zone (勝利星村創意生活園區), a creative life park in Shengli Village, and a remains park in Desheng (得勝) Village to learn about the project of reconstructing historical sites which supports the reshaping of the street space in the Japanese dormitory complex, as well as the efforts made by the county government to form the distinctive community, with cultural and creative entrepreneurs setting up shops at the area. Minister Shih concluded his trip with a visit to the Pingtung 1936 Tobacco Culture Base (PT1936, 屏菸1936文化基地). Previously, MOC invested approximately NT$320 million dollars in preserving the industrial site as well as integrating art, culture, and technology to create cross-domain knowledge. The Minister commended the efforts made by the Pingtung County government in the restoration and reuse of cultural heritage sites, and he also pledged to support the Pingtung County Museums Project (屏東大博物館計畫) in the future. He hopes that the future county-level art museum and sports exploration museum will evolve into distinctive and unconventional museums in Pingtung County.
Culture Minister mourns the passing of builder and restorer of Wang Ye Boat, Chen Ching-lung
Chen Ching-lung (陳金龍), the government-designated preserver of the building and restoration of ceremonial Wang Ye boats, passed away on March 12 at the age of 79. Culture Minister Shih Che conveyed his heartfelt sympathies upon receiving the news. MOC will instruct the Bureau of Cultural Heritage to fully assist Chen's family with funeral arrangements and present Chen with a posthumous certificate of appreciation in recognition of his lifelong dedication to constructing and restoring Wang Ye boats, as well as his efforts in promoting and continuing the craft. Born in 1945 in Tainan City, Chen began learning to build boats in his uncle's shipyard at the age of 13. In the early days, Chen mainly built wooden fishing boats, but later constructed Wang Ye boats for various temples and repaired antique boats. Chen's talent and knowledge have made him an important maker of Wang Ye boats in the Anping area, and over the years he has made more than 30 such boats, all showing the particular Anping characteristics in their production methods, workmanship, and aesthetics. He was a very special boatbuilder because normal boatbuilders only specialized in one type of boat-building method, but Chen was familiar with and skilled in both traditional fishing boats and the restoration and building of Wang Ye boats. He was well-versed in the knowledge and process required for the making of such boats. However, this technique is on the brink of extinction but holds significant value for preservation. In recognition of his expertise, the Tainan City Government named him as a preserver of the art of Wang Ye boat construction and restoration in 2020.

Culture Minister mourns the passing of builder and restorer of Wang Ye Boat, Chen Ching-lung

2023-03-24
Chen Ching-lung (陳金龍), the government-designated preserver of the building and restoration of ceremonial Wang Ye boats, passed away on March 12 at the age of 79. Culture Minister Shih Che conveyed his heartfelt sympathies upon receiving the news. MOC will instruct the Bureau of Cultural Heritage to fully assist Chen's family with funeral arrangements and present Chen with a posthumous certificate of appreciation in recognition of his lifelong dedication to constructing and restoring Wang Ye boats, as well as his efforts in promoting and continuing the craft. Born in 1945 in Tainan City, Chen began learning to build boats in his uncle's shipyard at the age of 13. In the early days, Chen mainly built wooden fishing boats, but later constructed Wang Ye boats for various temples and repaired antique boats. Chen's talent and knowledge have made him an important maker of Wang Ye boats in the Anping area, and over the years he has made more than 30 such boats, all showing the particular Anping characteristics in their production methods, workmanship, and aesthetics. He was a very special boatbuilder because normal boatbuilders only specialized in one type of boat-building method, but Chen was familiar with and skilled in both traditional fishing boats and the restoration and building of Wang Ye boats. He was well-versed in the knowledge and process required for the making of such boats. However, this technique is on the brink of extinction but holds significant value for preservation. In recognition of his expertise, the Tainan City Government named him as a preserver of the art of Wang Ye boat construction and restoration in 2020.
Five parties cooperate to promote international exchange at the 2023 Sport Event Taiwan Workshop Launch Forum
The Sports Administration held the “2023 Sport Event Taiwan Workshop Launch Forum” on February 24 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Japan Sport Tourism Alliance (JSTA), Asian Association for Sport Management (AASM), HYPE Global Virtual Accelerator Taiwan (HYPE GVA Taiwan), and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) to jointly promote the Workshop’s series of events. At the opening ceremony, Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-Chung said that the “Sport Event Taiwan Workshop” was first initiated in 2021 and the theme for 2023 is “Young & Green”. The Workshop has the aims of enhancing Taiwan’s ability to host international sports event and building youth participation, digital transformation and green energy sustainability concept, as well as increasing exchange between international sports organizations. The series of events of the Workshop is expected to include online courses, Fun Sports Hackathon and annual forum. This Forum was attended by representatives from 9 partner countries, namely Germany, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the US. Under the theme of Young & Green, Honorary President of the International Children’s Games (ICG) Torsten Rasch introduced the purpose of the event and shared youth participation promotion actual cases; ICG Vice President Chulwon Shin introduced the ICG that will be held in Daegu, South Korea in July this year and shared how the event is being combined with sustainable events; President David Gilbert of the GCSC shared his organization’s experiences of bidding to host international sports events and merging in green energy sustainability and youth sports events. The AASM shared on how to combine the concept of sustainability and sports events. The aim of the event was to build an international information exchange platform, integrate resources of various channels, obtain sports event information, raise the profile of Taiwan’s international sports events and move towards a green sustainable future. The online courses of the “Sport Event Taiwan Workshop” will be held on April to August, inviting international and domestic lecturers in various fields to share; registration for the Fun Sports Hackathon will start in March and it will promote exchange between sports event organizers, sports innovation startups and university students. It is expected the 3 parties will joint formulation of planning for combining international sports events, achieving sustainable youth participation and innovative technology application to develop unlimited potential for Taiwan brand sports events. This launch forum had simultaneous Chinese-English interpretation throughout and brought together foreign representatives in Taiwan, city and county governments, sports groups, university teachers and students and people who care about sport. For information about the 2023 Sport Event Taiwan Workshop activity series, please go to the “Fun Sports in Taiwan” Facebook fan page and Youtube.

Five parties cooperate to promote international exchange at the 2023 Sport Event Taiwan Workshop Launch Forum

2023-03-22
The Sports Administration held the “2023 Sport Event Taiwan Workshop Launch Forum” on February 24 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Japan Sport Tourism Alliance (JSTA), Asian Association for Sport Management (AASM), HYPE Global Virtual Accelerator Taiwan (HYPE GVA Taiwan), and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) to jointly promote the Workshop’s series of events. At the opening ceremony, Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-Chung said that the “Sport Event Taiwan Workshop” was first initiated in 2021 and the theme for 2023 is “Young & Green”. The Workshop has the aims of enhancing Taiwan’s ability to host international sports event and building youth participation, digital transformation and green energy sustainability concept, as well as increasing exchange between international sports organizations. The series of events of the Workshop is expected to include online courses, Fun Sports Hackathon and annual forum. This Forum was attended by representatives from 9 partner countries, namely Germany, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the US. Under the theme of Young & Green, Honorary President of the International Children’s Games (ICG) Torsten Rasch introduced the purpose of the event and shared youth participation promotion actual cases; ICG Vice President Chulwon Shin introduced the ICG that will be held in Daegu, South Korea in July this year and shared how the event is being combined with sustainable events; President David Gilbert of the GCSC shared his organization’s experiences of bidding to host international sports events and merging in green energy sustainability and youth sports events. The AASM shared on how to combine the concept of sustainability and sports events. The aim of the event was to build an international information exchange platform, integrate resources of various channels, obtain sports event information, raise the profile of Taiwan’s international sports events and move towards a green sustainable future. The online courses of the “Sport Event Taiwan Workshop” will be held on April to August, inviting international and domestic lecturers in various fields to share; registration for the Fun Sports Hackathon will start in March and it will promote exchange between sports event organizers, sports innovation startups and university students. It is expected the 3 parties will joint formulation of planning for combining international sports events, achieving sustainable youth participation and innovative technology application to develop unlimited potential for Taiwan brand sports events. This launch forum had simultaneous Chinese-English interpretation throughout and brought together foreign representatives in Taiwan, city and county governments, sports groups, university teachers and students and people who care about sport. For information about the 2023 Sport Event Taiwan Workshop activity series, please go to the “Fun Sports in Taiwan” Facebook fan page and Youtube.
“Disaster Risk Prevention Educators” Begins Overseas Exchange Activities
In order to provide international exchange opportunities for front-line teachers in Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE), a delegation of 26 teachers and administrators from each local government and each special education school was sent to Kyoto and Kobe City, Japan, from March 5th to March 9th to demonstrate their achievements of DRRE and share their experiences at local memorials, research centers, elementary and junior high schools, and special education schools. The Ministry of Education (MOE) expressed that global climate change has led to the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events and the increasing complexity of disaster patterns. The MOE is promoting a change in the concept of DRRE by replacing standard answers with well-judged and relevant principles, thus establishing a campus disaster management assessment system as the core framework for promoting disaster prevention in school. In recent years, the MOE has continued to provide counseling and resources to strengthen the organizational structure of DRRE and counseling teams and operations in all counties and cities, including teachers in the field of early childhood and special education as members of the counseling team, thus improving the organizational capacity of the disaster prevention education counseling team in each county and city government. The MOE stated that through the process of learning and experience exchange, the local governments' policies and measures and the effectiveness of schools' promotion of DRRE have been recorded, and that the knowledge and practices learned would be applied to practical needs upon returning to the Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan) to enhance their own DRRE promotion capabilities. The overseas exchange program visited the Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University, and met with the Director Eiichi Nakakita, Vice Director Uzuoka Ryosuke, and Professor Yamori Katsuya to discuss the current status of promoting international DRRE, as well as visiting various flood research facilities at the Ujigawa Open Laboratory. The team also plans to visit Uji Municipal Elementary School and Obaku Junior High School, Kyoto Municipal Shimogyo Miyabi Elementary School, and the Special Education School of Kyoto University of Education to learn more about disaster prevention drills for Japanese students at all levels of study. Exchanging experiences with Japanese school principals and teachers on DRRE and operation, and learning about disaster management measures and responses to disasters, such as disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery are the main goals. In addition, the exchange program will meet with the Kyoto City Board of Education, and the two sides will discuss the policy direction and implementation strategy of DRRE in the form of panel discussions, as well as the cooperation and operation models between the government, schools, and local communities. Japan and Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan) are both natural disaster-prone countries. In recent years, the MOE has continued to hold international seminars on DRRE, inviting Japanese scholars and Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan)’s teachers to exchange topics and discussions via video calls, to learn from international experience in promoting DRRE, and to deepen the disaster prevention partnership between the two countries through mutual exchanges and visits. The goal is to learn about Japanese humanities and society and disaster prevention and relief experience through various positive actions in order to deepen and broaden teachers' knowledge of this issue through incorporating discussion on topics, such as early childhood, special education, indigenous peoples, and Youth Envoys for DRRE. Overall, the international exchange opportunities will enhance schools' ability to respond to disasters with the end outcome being that DRRE will take root in both countries.

“Disaster Risk Prevention Educators” Begins Overseas Exchange Activities

2023-03-21
In order to provide international exchange opportunities for front-line teachers in Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE), a delegation of 26 teachers and administrators from each local government and each special education school was sent to Kyoto and Kobe City, Japan, from March 5th to March 9th to demonstrate their achievements of DRRE and share their experiences at local memorials, research centers, elementary and junior high schools, and special education schools. The Ministry of Education (MOE) expressed that global climate change has led to the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events and the increasing complexity of disaster patterns. The MOE is promoting a change in the concept of DRRE by replacing standard answers with well-judged and relevant principles, thus establishing a campus disaster management assessment system as the core framework for promoting disaster prevention in school. In recent years, the MOE has continued to provide counseling and resources to strengthen the organizational structure of DRRE and counseling teams and operations in all counties and cities, including teachers in the field of early childhood and special education as members of the counseling team, thus improving the organizational capacity of the disaster prevention education counseling team in each county and city government. The MOE stated that through the process of learning and experience exchange, the local governments' policies and measures and the effectiveness of schools' promotion of DRRE have been recorded, and that the knowledge and practices learned would be applied to practical needs upon returning to the Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan) to enhance their own DRRE promotion capabilities. The overseas exchange program visited the Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University, and met with the Director Eiichi Nakakita, Vice Director Uzuoka Ryosuke, and Professor Yamori Katsuya to discuss the current status of promoting international DRRE, as well as visiting various flood research facilities at the Ujigawa Open Laboratory. The team also plans to visit Uji Municipal Elementary School and Obaku Junior High School, Kyoto Municipal Shimogyo Miyabi Elementary School, and the Special Education School of Kyoto University of Education to learn more about disaster prevention drills for Japanese students at all levels of study. Exchanging experiences with Japanese school principals and teachers on DRRE and operation, and learning about disaster management measures and responses to disasters, such as disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery are the main goals. In addition, the exchange program will meet with the Kyoto City Board of Education, and the two sides will discuss the policy direction and implementation strategy of DRRE in the form of panel discussions, as well as the cooperation and operation models between the government, schools, and local communities. Japan and Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan) are both natural disaster-prone countries. In recent years, the MOE has continued to hold international seminars on DRRE, inviting Japanese scholars and Republic of China (R.O.C., Taiwan)’s teachers to exchange topics and discussions via video calls, to learn from international experience in promoting DRRE, and to deepen the disaster prevention partnership between the two countries through mutual exchanges and visits. The goal is to learn about Japanese humanities and society and disaster prevention and relief experience through various positive actions in order to deepen and broaden teachers' knowledge of this issue through incorporating discussion on topics, such as early childhood, special education, indigenous peoples, and Youth Envoys for DRRE. Overall, the international exchange opportunities will enhance schools' ability to respond to disasters with the end outcome being that DRRE will take root in both countries.
Kaohsiung’s port capabilities expand to enable easier cruise tourism
The Kaohsiung Port Terminal and Cruise Service Center opened March 6 as part of public and private sector efforts to expand the southern Taiwan city’s potential as a transportation and tourism hub in Asia. During the ceremony, Premier Chen Chien-jen said that Kaohsiung, which welcomes 70 percent of the country’s shipping containers, is Taiwan’s biggest port. As one of the region’s major shipping centers, it also plays a key role in the country’s economic development, he added. The government spent NT$4.5 billion (US$14.7 million) to build the terminal and service center in response to growing demands from the international cruise market, Chen said, adding that it allows 250,000-ton cruise ships to berth and is equipped with intelligent devices to facilitate rapid customs clearance for passengers. According to Chen, an NT$88 billion construction plan for a new building at the Kaohsiung International Airport was also approved by the Cabinet last month. It will help further shape Kaohsiung into a dual nucleus for air and water transportation to boost the country’s tourism and trade, he added. Other initiatives were also greenlighted by the Executive Yuan to attract more tourists to Taiwan, Chen said, citing a construction project that will see the government invest over NT$15 billion to improve facilities in 200 vital scenic spots from 2024 to 2027. Besides these initiatives, the government will continue working with local authorities to promote the beauty of Taiwan to the world, Chen added.

Kaohsiung’s port capabilities expand to enable easier cruise tourism

2023-03-20
The Kaohsiung Port Terminal and Cruise Service Center opened March 6 as part of public and private sector efforts to expand the southern Taiwan city’s potential as a transportation and tourism hub in Asia. During the ceremony, Premier Chen Chien-jen said that Kaohsiung, which welcomes 70 percent of the country’s shipping containers, is Taiwan’s biggest port. As one of the region’s major shipping centers, it also plays a key role in the country’s economic development, he added. The government spent NT$4.5 billion (US$14.7 million) to build the terminal and service center in response to growing demands from the international cruise market, Chen said, adding that it allows 250,000-ton cruise ships to berth and is equipped with intelligent devices to facilitate rapid customs clearance for passengers. According to Chen, an NT$88 billion construction plan for a new building at the Kaohsiung International Airport was also approved by the Cabinet last month. It will help further shape Kaohsiung into a dual nucleus for air and water transportation to boost the country’s tourism and trade, he added. Other initiatives were also greenlighted by the Executive Yuan to attract more tourists to Taiwan, Chen said, citing a construction project that will see the government invest over NT$15 billion to improve facilities in 200 vital scenic spots from 2024 to 2027. Besides these initiatives, the government will continue working with local authorities to promote the beauty of Taiwan to the world, Chen added.