Zhan Bing Literary Museum (詹冰故事文學館) at Zhuolan (卓蘭鎮) in Miaoli County was inaugurated on April 6. Part of the Miaoli Raoping Hakka Cultural Park Project, the literary museum in commemoration of Hakka poet Zhan Bing (1921-2004) will be a hub for Hakka language learning.
Zhan Bing (詹冰) was born in the township of Zhuolan in 1921. He went to Japan in 1942 to study pharmacology. As a qualified pharmacist, he returned to Taiwan years later and opened a pharmacy in Zhuolan before being invited to become a science teacher. Zhan wrote poems in Japanese in his early years and later started to write in Chinese, and in 1964 he became a founding member of the Li Poetry Society (笠詩社). Known as the "pharmacist poet," Zhan also wrote novels, essays, lyrics and plays.
With a funding from the Hakka Affairs Council, the Culture and Tourism Bureau of the Miaoli County Government and the Zhuolan Township Office launched the Zhan Bing Literary Museum project (客家詹冰故事文學館暨饒平客語園區計畫). The project aims to revitalize historical buildings and to establish a Hakka language learning hub.
Deputy Minister Fan Tso-ming (范佐銘) of the Hakka Affairs Council, Miaoli County Magistrate Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) and Zhuolan Township Mayor Chan Chin-chang (詹錦章) attended the opening ceremony for the Hakka poet Zhan Bing Literary Museum.
Zhan Bing's son Zhan Chien-wei (詹前衛) said at the ceremony that on the occasion of his father's 100th birth anniversary, the date of opening is of special significance.
Lin Yen-Fu (林彥甫) , commissioner of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, Miaoli County, indicated that the project entails not only the renovation of the historical buildings, but also display of Zhan Bing's manuscripts and poetry collection, stressing the literary atmosphere of the story house and its surrounding.
According to the Culture and Tourism Bureau, Miaoli County, the Zhan Bing Literary Museum will be managed by the Zhuolan Township Office. The county government is seeking further expansion of the project so as to promote Hakka culture and language and boost local tourism.
Hakka Affairs Council Deputy Minister Fan lauded the achievements of Zhan Bing, and expressed the hope that the Zhan Bing Literary Museum will become a major attraction on the iconic Taiwan Romantic Route 3 (浪漫台3線).
Photo courtesy of Miaoli County Government.