Taichung Major Jason Hu (
Noting that the funds to subsidize the development of a Guggenheim Museum in Taichung City has not been included in the NT$500 billion (US$14.66 billion) national construction project, Hu said that the designer and builder from the US will not wait forever for an answer from Taichung.
Hu said that the Guggenheim development plan has been stalled since last year and that he is not confident the US builder will not turn its back on Taiwan.
Since relevant subsidy budget remained uncertain, Hu suggested that the central government take over the plan and build all on its own the museum in Taichung.
Members of Taichung's cultural and literary circles had called for help from the Executive Yuan in March in an effort to save the Guggenheim project, but their efforts failed to produce results.
Hu said in February that the deadline for signing an agreement with the Guggenheim had already passed and that if the city could not ink the agreement by obtaining the trust and support of the Guggenheim Museum soon, the plan would probably have to be aborted.
Huang Chao-hu (黃朝湖), a spokesman for the Guggenheim Museum Promotion Group in Taichung said recently that it would be a pity if the project were scrapped as the museum's designer -- Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid -- has been awarded the 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the world's top honor in the field of architecture.
In addition to the planned Guggenheim Museum for Taichung, Hadid also designed such structures as the free-flowing Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati; a tram station in Strasbourg, France; and a contemporary arts center in Rome, Huang said.
In the event that the Guggenheim project is scrapped, some city councilors have suggested the city council should use the funds that were originally allocated for the building of the museum to construct a Taichung City contemporary fine arts museum.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although