Together with the Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan led by Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤), Culture Minister Shih Che visited historical sites in Beitou District, Taipei City on Nov. 9. Their destinations included Beitou Barn (北投穀倉), Beitou Heart Village (北投中心新村), Beitou Hot Spring Museum (北投溫泉博物館), and Beitou Museum (北投文物館).
Minister Shih noted that there are 45 tangible cultural assets in Beitou. In addition to the unique hot spring culture that carries local collective memories, these cultural sites continue to serve as important places for tourism and recreation in Taipei, telling the story of Beitou, added the minister.
Regarding the restoration and reuse of the cultural assets in Beitou, Minister Shih emphasized that as long as the Taipei City Government is willing to continue to make efforts in heritage preservation, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) will definitely provide support.
The Beitou Barn was built in 1937 by the Japanese Colonial Government, in response to the booming rice production in Taiwan during that time. Designated as a municipal monument in 2000 by the Taipei City Government, it is currently undergoing a restoration process and is planned to be reused as a platform to showcase the history of the rice milling industry.
Formerly a nursing home, the Beitou Heart Village was transformed into a military hospital after the Second World War. It has become a unique settlement, combining houses built by the Japanese as well as the Chinese military. As one of the few remaining intact military kindred villages, it was selected by the Ministry of National Defense in 2012 as one of the 13 military dependents’ village cultural preservation areas (眷村文化保存區) in Taiwan.
The MOC pointed out that the program to maintain and develop historical and cultural assets, now heading into the fifth phase, was approved by the Executive Yuan at NT$15.94 billion, the highest ever. Subsequently, MOC added, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage has completed the first batch of applications and approved 357 cases of grants at NT$3.69 billion, recording the highest grant funding in years.