Artist residency revives Kaohsiung military community

2015-03-30

An artist residency project kicked off March 26 in Kaohsiung City’s Whampoa New Village, offering a new lease of life to southern Taiwan’s oldest military dependents village.

The first phase saw five groups, including an animation artist, carpenter, costume designer, dancer and handmade book producer, set up shop in the historic neighborhood established by ROC army hero Gen. Sun Li-jen in 1947.

“They will play a catalytic role in revitalizing the community during a three-year residency,” said Shih Che, director-general of Kaohsiung City Government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs.

“The military dependents villages are a cultural asset unique to Taiwan in their historical significance. Whampoa New Village, in particular, is testament to the legacy of the nearby ROC Military Academy.”

Also known as Whampoa, the academy was founded in 1924 on the other side of the Taiwan Strait and played a key role in the nation’s victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The academy relocated to Kaohsiung City’s Fengshan District in 1949, with service members and their families living at Whampoa New Village.

“As the original residents began moving out last year, the city government designated the site a municipal cultural landscape with the aim of preserving its rich heritage intact,” Shih said.

By introducing artist residency, Shih said the government expects the new inhabitants to assist in protecting the integrity of the buildings while injecting fresh life and vigor into the neighborhood.

“The intangible assets of culture, language and ethnic assimilation encapsulated in the village should be passed on to future generations instead of being swallowed up in the sands of time.”

KCG plans to expand the initiative by involving 20 artist groups from home and abroad in the second phase. Other local revitalization projects in pipeline include the air force communities in Gangshan District and navy villages in Zuoying District.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=228798&CtNode=413)