In order to better preserve and revitalize the nation's cultural assets and pass them on to future generations, the government made significant changes to the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act in 2016 and enacted the Cultural Fundamental Act in 2019. The nation's cultural asset preservation thus shifted from the previous approach of restoring single buildings or sites on a case-by-case basis to preserving and developing them on a more comprehensive level. The new approach will enable a better public governance system by strengthening the preservation of state-owned cultural assets, restoring and rejuvenating the cultural ecology, and raising public awareness about cultural asset preservation. These efforts will allow Taiwan to pass on the beauty of its cultural assets—tangible or intangible—to generations to come.
Main points
■ Tangible cultural assets: Designate and register nine types of tangible assets: monuments, historic buildings, commemorative buildings, groups of buildings, archaeological sites, historical sites, cultural landscapes, antiquities, natural landscapes and natural monuments. Take preventive measures to protect against disasters by establishing zone-based mechanisms to protect monuments and historic buildings and amending laws to increase the size and scope of penalties for man-made destruction of cultural assets. Promote scientific preservation work by establishing micro-weather stations that monitor the environment, creating 3D models of nationally designated cultural assets, and cultivating preservation and restoration personnel. Promote the Regeneration of Historic Sites projects, which will reintegrate historical cultural memories with contemporary life, inject new life into cultural assets, and develop cultural characteristics unique to each region.
■ Intangible cultural assets: Promote the registration of five types of intangible assets—traditional performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, folklore, oral traditions, and traditional knowledge and practices—and the accreditation of preservationists. Establish a talent cultivation mechanism to promote the teaching and transference of important traditional skills, or help accomplished young artists in returning to traditional cultural venues to perform. Establish a training base for traditional restoration personnel to continue developing and passing on their skills to future generations.