Department of Cultural Affairs

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park

Mission
In 2011, the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park was positioned as the “Creative Hub of Taipei”, with the objective to nurture creative talents and energy. The Park is not designed with a commercial focus, but rather, its mission is to kindle creativity and innovation and to be in synch with the interdisciplinary developmental trend observed in today’s industries. The Songshan Cultural and Creative Park is not just a platform for showcasing creativity and innovation. It strives to be a hub for inspiring and nurturing the spirits of creativity, and with the five key strategies of “Creative Lab”, “Creative Union”, “Creative School”, “Creative Showcase” and “Creative Hub”, the objective is for the Park to achieve the goal of becoming Taipei’s creative hub. With the mission in mind, the Park is assertively involved in the organization of various artistic, cultural, and creativity events, which also include presentations of design, visual, and cross-disciplinary events. The activities take shape in diverse formats, including film shootings, press conferences, extended or short-term exhibitions, award ceremonies, symposiums, seminars, fashion shows, and much more. The cultural heritage site of the Park is used in multifaceted lively ways, and with its unique ambiance enhanced, the location has gradually been transformed into a new destination for cultural and creative industry endeavors in Taipei and also a new creative stage with an international focus. The Songshan Cultural and Creative Park’s mission and duties involve continual efforts in facilitating exchanges between industries and to offer support for the development of aesthetical experiences, and also promotional and marketing endeavors, which are all aimed at creating the greatest benefits from the Park’s multiple functions. Furthermore, it will also continue to organize large-scale cultural and creative events and to actualize the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park’s vision to become Taipei’s creative showcase window. With the Park’s multifunctional spaces and its multifaceted operational approach, the intention is to transform the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park into an iconic indicator for everyday aestheticism and design cognition and for the location to truly become a comprehensive multifaceted creative center.
 
The Story of SCCP
This location has transformed through history since 1937 as the “Taiwan Sōtokufu Tobacco Monopoly Bureau” during the Japanese colonial time, and after restoration, it was taken over by the Taiwan Monopoly Bureau and renamed the “Taiwanese Provincial Tobacco and Alcohol Monopoly Bureau Songshan Plant”. In 2001, it was appointed by the Taipei City Government as the No. 99 cultural heritage site of the city and renamed the “Songshan Cultural and Creative Park”. This site was once home to the first modernized tobacco Factory in Taiwan, which created tremendous economic value to the nation. On November 15th, 2011, after it officially opened to the public, it has now been transformed into a creative hub of Taiwan.
 
The concept of an “industrial village” was employed during the initial development of the Songshan Tobacco Factory, and besides the production line, the benefits and needs of the plant’s employees were also taken into consideration for the design of the site. With its large open spaces and courtyards, the site was a pioneering design for industrial plants at that time.
 
Its architectural style belongs to the genre of “Japanese Early Modernism”, with emphasis placed on horizontal lines, simple classic shapes, and refined workmanship. The buildings were considered to be an exceptional model for industrial plants in that era. The boiler room, mechanical maintenance factory, and tobacco Factory were completed in 1939, and rolled tobaccos began production in October of the same year, with 1200 workers hired in its initial stage. In 1940, the office building and inspection room were completed, with the construction of the entire plant completed in the span of three years and three months.
 
 
Website: https://www.songshanculturalpark.org/index.aspx