Taichung will remain the choice location of the upcoming National Comics Museum (國家漫畫博物館) per the original plan agreed upon by the Ministry of Culture and the Taichung City Government in 2017. The new development came after Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) met with Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te on June 2 and will see the city government propose a new selection of potential sites for the subsequent Ministry-led assessment.
As part of the Ministry's efforts to promote Taiwanese comics and preserve related artifacts and documents, the Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with Taichung City in 2017 to establish the National Comics Museum in a facility inside the Taichung-based Central Taiwan Cinema Center (中臺灣電影中心), which is currently under construction.
However, after nearly 30 meetings, the Ministry and the Taichung City Government have yet to sign an administrative contract, as the center's design has failed to meet the three main specifications laid out by the Ministry. The construction of the long-awaited facility has since stalled. The Ministry officially terminated the 2017 MOU on May 13 and decided to seek a new, more suitable site for the museum.
During the June 2 talk with Lu, the Minister reiterated that the design of the comics museum should meet the professional standards required for a national institution. Lee also affirmed that Taichung remains a preferential location for the museum and urged local authorities to swiftly propose suitable sites so that the evaluations can be conducted thoroughly.
The ideal location for the museum should be easily accessible by public transportation and serve as a hub driving the development of its surrounding cultural facilities and local tourism. In addition, the management team of the proposed museum should be able to lead operations independently. The Ministry will select the site for the museum after a series of careful assessments.
As for the ongoing construction project of the Central Taiwan Cinema Center, the Minister recognizes Taichung City Government's efforts in promoting the nation's homegrown film and television content, and the construction subsidy of NT$445 million — the previously agreed amount from the 2017 MOU — remains unaltered to uphold the spirit of cooperation.
Lee urged local authorities to refer to the requirements listed in the Ministry's subsidy scheme for upgrading arts and cultural venues and submit a feasible construction plan that shall include an overall evaluation of the spatial arrangement of the complex’s main buildings, the center's surroundings, and how the site will spur the future development of Taichung's film industry.
After a thorough review of the proposed plan, the Ministry will allocate funds accordingly and respect Taichung City Government's decisions on the subsidy disbursement and construction management, the Minister concluded.
Read the original press release here.
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