Taiwanese culture at risk, say legislators

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on March 16, 2006. It reports that legislators in Taiwan recently opposed the government's plans to demolish a military residence in Chingshui Township in central Taiwan's Taichung County. These legislators claimed that certain unique aspects of Taiwanese culture were at risk.

Since 1980, the Ministry of National Defense has been renovating its military residences. Because these residences are for dependants of permanent force members, military families have been relocated to new bases as old ones are demolished. Now, legislators claim that such relocation may cause irreparable damage to military community culture.

More importantly, the renovations in Taicung County also threaten the Chungshe Relics, which were discovered during the construction of the Taichung County Seaport Art Center in 1997. Pottery shards, shells and animal and human bones dating back 1,500 years were unearthed. Although parts of the site were ruined during construction, some well-preserved areas still remain. Legislators suggest that the Ministry of National Defense and the National Property Bureau should halt the renovations and relocation projects in the area immediately, in order to preserve local culture. Furthermore, the land in the area should be given to the Council for Cultural Affairs so that it can preserve the site.