Writer Huang Chun-ming (黃春明) has decided to shut down the Red Brick House cafe and literary salon in Yilan County after the Yilan County Council slashed funds earmarked for subsidizing the cafe in the next fiscal year over allegations that the Yilan County Government was lining Huang’s pockets.
Visiting the cafe for the last time on Monday, before it officially closes tomorrow, Huang said he intended to wait for the county government to settle the issue with the council.
Huang, who published his first novel in 1956 and has since established himself as a major proponent of Taiwan’s “nativist literature” movement, said he hopes to take a rest and continue working on The Season of the Longan (龍眼的季節), a long novel that features himself as the main character.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Huang said he conceived the idea of the novel five decades ago, adding that it is only half-finished and that he hopes to complete it soon.
He said he plans to stage a closing ceremony tomorrow, including a speech recounting the cafe’s history over the past three years, adding that he hopes to overcome a sense of sadness about the closure by telling jokes and stories.
“I feel grateful for the amount of support I have received over the incident,” he said, adding that the cafe would always have a place in his heart.
Huang said he has received support from friends and colleagues within the arts and culture industries, adding that such people had voiced regrets over the cafe’s closure and called for its preservation.
Writer Liao Yu-hui (廖玉蕙) said that culture should not be subject to political oppression, adding that she, along with National Cheng Chi University professor Chen Fang-ming (陳芳明) and 20 other writers, would be attending a closing ceremony at the cafe.
Netizens have started an online petition in hopes of preserving the cafe and enabling Huang to continue running the salon.
The county government said that management of the Red Brick House cafe has been handed over to the Yilan County Cultural Affairs Bureau, adding that the cafe would undergo maintenance, including the development of space for exhibits and displays.
Huang is to be consulted over all maintenance proposals, the county government said, adding that once it had reached a consensus with the county council, it would again approach Huang with a commission offer.
All subsidy funding is to be provided via application to central government subsidies or from fundraising in the private sector, the county government said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including