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President Tsai and Premier Su attend '100th Anniversary of the Commencement of the Jianan Irrigation Channel Construction Ceremony'

  • Date:2021-05-10
President Tsai and Premier Su attend '100th Anniversary of the Commencement of the Jianan Irrigation Channel Construction Ceremony'

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang(蘇貞昌) on May 8 attended a ceremony at the Yoichi Hatta Memorial Park in Tainan's Wushantou Reservoir, in commemoration of the contributions of Taiwanese and Japanese technicians and labor workers participating in the construction of the biggest water conservancy project in East Asia a hundred years ago.

Ministry of Culture (MOC), Ministry of Transport (MOT), Council of Agriculture(COA), and the Tainan City Government partnered to organize the "100th Anniversary of the Commencement of the Jianan Irrigation Channel Construction Ceremony (百年圳流-嘉南大圳開工滿百紀念典禮)."

Designed by Japanese engineer Yoichi Hatta (八田與一), the Wushantou Reservoir and Jianan Irrigation Channel were the most important water conservancy projects in Taiwan prior to World War II. Construction of the canal began in 1920 and was completed in 1930.

President Tsai pointed out that the effort put into constructing the Jianan Channel project reflects the fruits of transnational and trans-ethnic cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. The ceremony is of even more significance in light of the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, she added.

Premier Su said, over the past century, Taiwan and Japan supported and cooperated with each other in situations that include natural disasters and international affairs. Through the infrastructure and regeneration program initiated by Executive Yuan, the charm of Jianan Irrigation Channel will be showcased to the public in order to strengthen local development and in turn, create new value for historical landscapes in the modern era.

Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) expressed gratitude to Yoichi Hatta and other predecessors in Taiwan for their contributions and dedications. He stated that Jianan Channel is not only a water conservancy project, it is also an important cultural asset in the history of human development.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che said, like every mother who accompanies her child through the stages of growth, the water from Jianan Canal irrigates the field of Tainan’s agricultural products.