Culture Minister Li Yuan visited local community organizations in Nantou County on Dec. 24 to evaluate the implementation of cultural bases in the region. The organizations he visited included the Paper Dome New Homeland Scenic Park (紙教堂新故鄉見學園區), the Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art (毓繡美術館), and Tennii Studio (天染工坊).
The New Homeland Foundation, which established the Paper Dome New Homeland Scenic Park, was founded in 1999 following the devastating Jiji earthquake. Yen Hsin-chu (顏新珠), the executive director of the foundation, said that the park has transformed the Taomi area (桃米社區) into a notable attraction, known for its biodiversity and cultural richness.
Minister Li praised the park’s achievements, commending it as a model for community-building initiatives in Taiwan. He particularly highlighted its reconstruction efforts, which emphasize environmental awareness following the earthquake.
The Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art was the Minister’s second destination. Opened in 2016, the privately owned museum is dedicated to the exhibition and promotion of contemporary realism, providing an exhibition space for renowned and promising artists in Taiwan to increase the visibility of Taiwanese contemporary realistic art. It aims to nurture art in everyday life, promoting aesthetic education in the local community.
At Tennii Studio, the final stop of his visit, Minister Li met with Chen Ching-lin (陳景林), the studio’s founder and the recipient of the 2024 National Crafts Achievement Award. He expressed his admiration for Chen’s four decades of dedication to promoting the art of weaving and dyeing.
Chen shared his experiences of researching weaving and dyeing techniques across Asia and his efforts in teaching and advocating for this traditional craft. He noted that most practitioners in the field operate on a small, studio-based scale and rely significantly on government support.
Minister Li also discussed the Ministry of Culture’s “100 Cultural Bases” project, launched on Dec. 3. He explained that the initiative aims to highlight the dynamic energy of Taiwan’s cultural bases by bringing together experts and scholars from various disciplines.
Submissions for the “100 Cultural Bases” project are open until Jan. 15, 2025. More information is available at http://map.culture.tw.