Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai led a delegation to the Love Pier in Kaohsiung City on Monday to inspect the site of the proposed Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center. The NT$5.45 billion (US$181 million) project is slated to begin construction in the latter half of 2013.
In a briefing with the Kaohsiung City Government, the Minister said that an important aspect of the project's planning is about attracting audiences "who are willing to pay for admission” so to give economic support to the cultural and creative industries.
To be located on the coast between Pier 11 and 15 of the Kaohsiung Harbor, the Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center will face the water and cover an area of 11.49 hectares.
Along with the Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts and the Dadong Arts Center, the Maritime Pop Music Center is part of a proposed triad of cultural venues for southern Taiwan. The center's construction is expected to begin in the second half of the year and be completed in 2015.
A 5,000-seat concert space and six live houses accommodating 200 to 1,000 people are planned for the center, while its outdoor plaza will have a capacity of up to 12,000 spectators. The overall design of the space is also visually engaging and rich in maritime images such as whales, dolphins, corals and waves.
In addition to 12,000 seats to be built for the Maritime Cultural andPopular Music Center's outdoor venue, the Dadong Arts Center will have 1,000 seats and the Wei-Wu-Ying Center will have a capacity of nearly 6,000 seats.
The triad of cultural venues is aimed at attracting talented individuals and groups from the pop music and performing arts sectors, help newcomers develop their creative careers in southern Taiwan, and create a rich cultural environment for local children, stated the Minister.
"Kaohsiung has the potential to become a true cultural hub,” she pointed out, adding that the biggest challenge that southern Taiwan faces is to convince the public that not all cultural performances can be enjoyed for free.
Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu (right) briefs Culture Lung Ying-tai (left) on the status of the Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center project on June 24, 2013.
The Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center will be connected to Kaohsiung’s business district via a Light Rail Rapid Transit.