As a part of "The Tagana Story (大基隆歷史場景再現整合計畫)" project, the renovation of the military base on Heping Island has been completed recently. Inaugurating the site on July 8, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te said that the construction and relocation of the military base will allow for Keelung's history preservation project to move forward.
During his speech, Lee pointed out that nearly 400 years ago, in 1626, when the Spanish first built Fort San Salvador (聖薩爾瓦多城), the city of Keelung began its connection with the outside world. He thanked Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) for preserving Keelung City's historical memories and revitalizing the city's cultural assets.
Lee also thanked the Ministry of National Defense (國防部) and the Navy Command Headquarters (海軍司令部) for their full support of and cooperation on the relocation of the military base. The Ministry of Culture will continue to work for the next budget approval to support Keelung to preserve important local historical scenes and shine a light on their historical value on the international stage.
When asked by a reporter on the possibility of building a museum, like New Taipei City's Shihshanhang Museum of Archaeology (新北市立十三行博物館), to showcase the results of Keelung's archaeological excavation, Lee said Mayor Lin has put forth a plan which the Ministry of Culture will include in the next budget proposal to the Executive Yuan.
Lin said the completion of the military base's renovation is an important milestone for "The Tagana Story" project. Once the relocation has been completed, the reconstruction of Dashawan History Cultural Park (大沙灣歷史園區) can proceed, which encompasses the Sino-French War Memorial Park (法國公墓), Taiping Steamer Memorial Park (太平輪紀念碑), Old Stone Wall of Dashawan (大沙灣石圍遺構), and Veteran Memorial Park (榮民紀念園區), and attached military compounds and dormitories (基隆要塞司令部校官眷舍), to tell the history of Keelung and highlight its historical and cultural values.
Keelung Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Chen Ching-ping (陳靜萍) explained that Zhongbin military base next to the Sino-French War Memorial Park will be relocated to Heping military base to make room for the "Reconstruction of Historical Scenes in Greater Keelung Area" initiative, providing a designated space for residents to understand and cherish local Keelung history and cultural context.