The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum (NPM) will be a bellwether of culture and art in southern Taiwan, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today after hearing the NPM's report on the progress of the branch's construction.
Located in Chiayi City, the southern facility will serve as a new cultural landmark in southern Taiwan, said Premier Mao. Despite contractual disputes and construction delays early on in the project, the branch is scheduled to open on a trial basis on December 28 this year.
Mao requested that the NPM and the Construction and Planning Agency of the Ministry of the Interior work together with the engineering team to keep tabs on the project and ensure that the construction is completed as scheduled.
The NPM should also work out complementary measures regarding international marketing, transportation and educational promotion as well as meet requirements of the local government, Mao said. He assigned Vice Premier Chang San-cheng to coordinate cross-agency efforts and asked for active assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Finance.
According to the NPM, the southern branch is positioned as a world-class museum for Asian art and culture. The impressive intelligent green architecture will also serve as an important tourist attraction in southern Taiwan.
In the future, the NPM will promote cultural and art education in cooperation with the MOTC, MOFA, MOE, Council of Agriculture and various local governments in southern Taiwan. The new museum will also be integrated into sightseeing tours of nearby sights such as Alishan and Dongshi Fishing Port in Chiayi City. The purpose is to promote southern Taiwan's cultural tourism and agricultural economy and boost Chiayi's cultural and creative industry. With the NPM in the north and the new branch in the south, it is hoped that a well-balanced cultural development between northern and southern Taiwan can be realized.