Cultural Venues in Taichung

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

I’m taking some online classes with my old university (University of Maine) back in the US. One of my classes this term is a study of popular culture. As part of the class, we are required to seek out a variety of different locations in our area and analyze them as reflections/expressions of local culture.

Most of the students actually live in Maine, so they are required to go visit these locations as a class. The first trip is to the Maine State Museum, which actually provides a great, in-depth look at authentic Maine culture. I am supposed to find something similar to this here in Taiwan.

Can anyone recommend any museums or other venues in or around Taichung that reflect and represent authentic Taiwanese culture? If nothing is around I suppose I could make a trip to Taipei, but it’d be nice to find something in my area.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

2

Taiwan Folk Village in Huatan (near Changhua).

3

That might do. Thanks cf.

4

I’d consider the museum in Lukang.

5

I don’t know anything about it. Which museum?

6

I think it’s called the Folk Museum. Lugang is pretty much one giant museum anyway - and the Longshan Temple renovations should be finally complete now (after 6 years of work). Last time I was there (2 months ago) it was 99% finished.

7

Lukang and the harbor that left, leaving the city as a museum.

8

[quote=“cfimages”]I think it’s called the Folk Museum. Lugang is pretty much one giant museum anyway - and the Longshan Temple renovations should be finally complete now (after 6 years of work). Last time I was there (2 months ago) it was 99% finished.[/quote]Yeah, I think it’s the Folk Art Museum. Barfomcgee, if you’ve got a Lonely Planet it should be on the map in that.

Nice to hear that the Longshan Temple’s nearly finished, after so long. Last time I went there was a bit of an exhibition on how they were restoring it. They looked to be doing a good job.

9

The Frog . . . Napoli . . .

10

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]The Frog . . . Napoli . . .[/quote]Napoli’s been closed for AGES. And you’re not serious about The Frog, surely? There are about six Frogs now, but I don’t think they’re much good any more.

11

Okay, but I bet there’s still a Pig Pen!

Harrumph! Tao yan! :blush:

HG

12

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Okay, but I bet there’s still a Pig Pen![/quote]Yeah, not much of a Pig Pen guy myself though. Soundgarden, across the way, was alright though. I wonder whether that’s still going.

13

So despite your avatar - brilliant though it is - wearing a helmet, you’ve got some problem with being bottled?

HG

14

[quote=“joesax”]Yeah, I think it’s the Folk Art Museum. Barfomcgee, if you’ve got a Lonely Planet it should be on the map in that.
[/quote]
Which is better: the Taiwan Folk Village or the Folk Arts Museum in Lukang?

15

[quote=“barfomcgee”][quote=“joesax”]Yeah, I think it’s the Folk Art Museum. Barfomcgee, if you’ve got a Lonely Planet it should be on the map in that.
[/quote]
Which is better: the Taiwan Folk Village or the Folk Arts Museum in Lukang?[/quote]

Neither. The Folk Art Museum in Taichung city beats them both.

Also do Wood Art musuem in Sanyi, the Quake museum in Wufeng (and the Soil museum, run by a maestro of soils), the mushroom farm district in Hsinshe.

Michael

16

[quote=“Vorkosigan”][quote=“barfomcgee”][quote=“joesax”]Yeah, I think it’s the Folk Art Museum. Barfomcgee, if you’ve got a Lonely Planet it should be on the map in that.
[/quote]
Which is better: the Taiwan Folk Village or the Folk Arts Museum in Lukang?[/quote]

Neither. The Folk Art Museum in Taichung city beats them both.

Also do Wood Art musuem in Sanyi, the Quake museum in Wufeng (and the Soil museum, run by a maestro of soils), the mushroom farm district in Hsinshe.

Michael[/quote]I like the Lukang Folk Art Museum and the one in Taichung about equally. The earthquake museum’s good too, though in a completely different way of course.

I’ve been to Hsinshe mushroom district what seems like hundreds of times. It’s alright. I wouldn’t say it was anything that special. The deep-fried mushrooms are nice though. Near there, there’s a nice “cheating” back route to get up on the ridge with the no. 5 Dakeng trail. Saves climbing all those ladders.

17

That sounds promising, considering I live in Taichung City. The Folk Art Museum doesn’t seem to be listed in my Lonely Planet. Where exactly is it? Is it the same as the “Taichung Folklore Park”?

18

[quote=“barfomcgee”][quote=“Vorkosigan”]
Neither. The Folk Art Museum in Taichung city beats them both.
[/quote]
That sounds promising, considering I live in Taichung City. The Folk Art Museum doesn’t seem to be listed in my Lonely Planet. Where exactly is it? Is it the same as the “Taichung Folklore Park”?[/quote]I think so. It’s a little difficult to find, actually. It’s a bit north of Wenxin Rd, somewhere between Chongde Rd and Beitun Rd. It’s the green bit at the lower left center of this map:
maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&g … 27895&z=16

19

[quote=“joesax”][quote=“barfomcgee”][quote=“Vorkosigan”]
Neither. The Folk Art Museum in Taichung city beats them both.
[/quote]
That sounds promising, considering I live in Taichung City. The Folk Art Museum doesn’t seem to be listed in my Lonely Planet. Where exactly is it? Is it the same as the “Taichung Folklore Park”?[/quote]I think so. It’s a little difficult to find, actually. It’s a bit north of Wenxin Rd, somewhere between Chongde Rd and Beitun Rd. It’s the green bit at the lower left center of this map:
maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&g … 27895&z=16[/quote]
If the Folk Art Museum is indeed the same as the Taichung Folklore Park, this website provides some decent information and directions:
tccgc.gov.tw/report/taichung … t01-05.htm

I will probably go have a look this Sunday. Thanks for all the replies.

20

Yes, it is the same museum. There’s also this from Taiwan journal today…

++++++++++++++

“The exhibition calls together talented Taiwanese designers specializing in various fields, ranging from arts to product design,” said Hu You-tsung, a curator for one of the exhibitions, “50 Pleasures in the Study,” at the opening of the event on Aug. 28.

Hu’s show seeks to redefine the traditional “four treasures” of a Chinese study, which typically includes calligraphy brushes, ink sticks, paper and an ink stone. The collective exhibition is a stage on which ambitious designers can be seen and communicate with the public, as well as a way to encourage local talent, Hu said.

It has only been in recent years that the government has created such platforms to promote connections among those in the cultural and industrial sectors, rather than just providing subsidies to encourage creative industries. Tony Chang, chief executive officer of the Taipei-based Taiwan Design Center, said, “This facilitates cooperation among designers and the industrial sector and helps create incentives for further collaboration.”

“The exhibition, for example, introduces the unfailing supply of creativity from the private sector and helps bring together cultural groups and various businesses,” Chang said.

The venue for the show itself represents the government’s effort in this regard. The CCA took account of Taichung’s past experience of developing light industry, as well as the high concentration of design colleges in the area. And in 2002, the council launched plans to convert the city’s former brewery into a “locomotive” for promoting art, design and architecture. The result is TADA, which opened in June 2006, and houses art studios, exhibition space, experimental theaters and a conference and performance hall across eight of the 40 buildings in the former brewery.