The Qidong Poetry Salon, a renovated Japanese-era building complex in central Taipei, was established in 2014 as the base of the Ministry of Culture's flagship program devoted to organizing workshops, competitions, international forums, and festivals relating to poetry.
The Japanese-style architecture was constructed between 1920 and 1940 as residential buildings for Japanese officials. The restoration successfully maintained the structure's black-colored roof tiles, Japanese gargoyle sculptures, and sash windows.
Today, the salon serves as a platform to support both upcoming and veteran poets through such initiatives as poetry recitals and a monthly workshop on the first weekend of each month.
The program also strengthens local and international poetry networks, hosts visiting poets and artists, and organizes a national poetry competition.
Winners of the competition are offered cash prizes to encourage Taiwanese poets to write and broaden their horizons through travel.
Many handwritten manuscripts and personal documents from the National Museum of Taiwan Literature’s collection are also on display at a permanent exhibition devoted to preserving Taiwan's poetry heritage.
The salon also works with other Ministry initiatives such as the National Memories Database project, which is dedicated to collecting the nation's oral history through video and audio recordings.