The groundbreaking ceremony of “National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Landscape Renovation Project” undertaken by National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Ministry of Culture, was held today (February 24). Minister of Culture, Lee Yung-te, Director-general of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Wang Lan-sheng, Director-general of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Liang Yung-fei, Director of Legislator Lin Yi-hua Service Office, Ou Jia-jun, architect Wang Shou-zheng, the village chief and representatives of morning exercisers attended the ceremony. National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was completed and opened in 1971. Besides serving as the space for people at home and abroad to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen, it also has the functions of culture, art, education, recreation, and academic research. At the same time, it is an important venue of art and cultural events in Taipei. The hall has been established for more than 48 years. The façade and roof of the historic building needs renovation. The Auditorium, exhibition rooms and surrounding facilities have become old. In accordance with the changes of the city space and citizens’ needs, the hall will undertake the renovation and integration of the park landscape first.
The related construction of the hall’s “Interdisciplinary Value-adding Program” has started after the Spring Festival of 2021. First is the landscape renovation of Chungshan Cultural Park, which is expected to be completed at the end of 2022. Then the facilities of the Auditorium will be upgraded. “Interdisciplinary Value-adding Program” was approved by Executive Yuan in January, 2016. The revised program was passed in August, 2020, with the total budget of NT$1.632 billion.
Minister of Culture, Lee Yung-te, said National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, since it was established 48 years ago, has played the role of an important cultural landmark in Taiwan. It is not only the space for leisure activities in daily life for the citizens but also a must-visit spot for the foreign visitors. At the same time, it is also the symbol of the cultural spirit in Taiwan. Many cultural events have been held here, and the cultural contents have been produced here. The renovation project is on the largest scale in the 48 years. The budget of 1.6 billion in total will be used to improve and upgrade both the landscape and the building. The greatest highlight is to reproduce the original design spirit of the architect, Wang Da-hong. Minister Lee expressed his gratitude to the former and present Director-generals and all staff for their hard work and expected the hall to keep communicating with the different sectors and strictly follow the construction safety regulations during the future construction so that it will be completed with the expected quality on time and the citizens and foreign visitors will enjoy the better cultural field.
Director-general of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Wang Lan-sheng, said the landscape renovation is only the first step of a series of renovations of the hall. In the future, the hall will specially demand the construction quality and safety to ensure the public safety and openness of the park. The renovation will be undertaken area by area. Most areas of the park will still be open to the public except for the construction area in order not to cause inconvenience to the public. According to the plan, the fountain will be turned into a reflective pool. Then the east and west trails and the surroundings of Lake Tswei will be refurbished. Last is the restoration of the building. It is believed that after the construction is completed, the hall will provide the safe, friendly, and accessible environment so that the public will enjoy exercising and joining in the activities at the hall more.
Furthermore, the hall has also been considering holding more various activities and performances at Chungshan Park after the renovation is completed so that the interdisciplinary value-adding program of the hall will provide the more comprehensive service and become the leisure space loved by everyone.