Department of Cultural Affairs

By Psyche Cho
Staff Reporter

Amid vibrant music performed by the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Society, nearly 20 representatives from Taipei's diplomatic corps gathered August 27 at the Grass Mountain Chateau on Yangmingshan for an afternoon of discussions and interchange.

The reception is an annual event hosted jointly by the Taipei City Government and its Cultural Affairs Department. After a cordial welcome to the attendees, Deputy Mayor Tim T.Y. Ting sought support for Taipei's bid for the title of World Design Capital (WDC) 2016, a designation promoted by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design in recognition of a city's innovation as a role model for others. 

"Taipei has successfully held several international events such as the Summer Deaflympics Taipei 2009 and the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition," said Ting, who believes the experience will help qualify Taipei for the title.

Of all the grand events Taipei has hosted, the 2011 International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress held in Taipei is most relevant to the bid, pointed out Cultural Affairs Commissioner Liu Wei-gong.  

"Design is a tool which can have a very good impact on our city," said Liu during a short presentation. "For example, WDC Cape Town employs design to tackle social problems such as poverty and unemployment," he said.

Liu concluded by noting that Taipei's bid for the title will based on the concept, "Design is for people, serving people and making the city a more livable place for its citizens."

The historic legacy is also an important element in enriching people's cultural life in a city. Grass Mountain Chateau is such a place of political and historical significance. It was the former residence of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling after the ROC government moved to Taiwan.

Chiang received distinguished guests here, and many important system reforms, discussions and policy decisions were made at the chateau, which was destroyed in a fire one night in 2007. 

Restoring the chateau took a year and four months and was based on careful textual research to examine related historical data and traditional construction methods.

Now the chateau has been turned into a venue for art exhibitions and leisure activities. Currently on view is an exhibition of typewriters, sewing machines, radios, telephones and music boxes with nearly a century of history.

Grass Mountain Chateau is open Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Monday. More information is available on http://www.grassmountainchateau.com.tw/ or call 02-2862-2404.