Cultural Heritage Park Introduction
The Cultural Heritage Park of the Ministry of Culture covers an area of 5.6 hectares and was originally established as the private "Taihoku Distillery Co., Ltd." during the Japanese colonial period in 1916. After the Japanese government implemented the exclusive liquor monopoly system in 1922, it became government-owned and was the largest brewing factory in Taiwan by 1928. Following the restoration of Taiwan in 1945, the distillery was renamed twice, first to "Taichung Distillery" and then to "Fifth Distillery." In 1947, the government transformed the monopoly on tobacco and alcohol into a public sale system, and it was taken over by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation. In 1957, it was renamed once again to "Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Liquor Corporation Taichung Distillery." With the passage of time and the urban planning and development needs of Taichung City, the Taichung distillery relocated to a new facility in the Taichung Industrial Park in 1998, leaving behind a large industrial heritage site and historical buildings. In July 2002, the Taichung City Government registered the main buildings in the area as historic buildings, allowing the old distillery to be preserved intact. It has since developed into one of the five major cultural and creative industry parks established by the Ministry of Culture. The former Taichung Distillery has been revitalized as a center for cultural and creative industries. After the relocation of the distillery to the new plant in Taichung Industrial Park, the old site became a significant witness to the development history of the liquor industry in Taiwan from the Japanese colonial period to the present. Therefore, it was registered as a historic building in July 2002. The National Property Administration subsequently transferred ownership of the 5.6 hectares of land and buildings to the Executive Yuan's Cultural Construction Committee, enabling the complete preservation of the former Taichung Distillery. The site is now planned to be one of the five creative cultural parks under the creative industry development project, positioning itself as a hub for the development of architectural, design, and artistic exhibitions in Taiwan. Additionally, the Cultural Heritage Bureau, a central authority responsible for cultural assets across Taiwan, is also established here. Its policy objectives are to effectively combine local governments, universities, civilian and community organizations to create a complete cultural heritage protection network, construct an ecological environment suitable for cultural heritage development, and promote international cooperation in cultural heritage preservation. Today, the various buildings in the park have acquired new identities. The Wei Shui Lou, which was once a packaging materials warehouse, now serves as the library for the park. The Ya Tang Pavilion, originally a warehouse for rice wine products and semi-finished products, is now a large multifunctional exhibition space contributing to Taiwan's cultural and creative industry. The International Performing Arts Hall, located at the corner of the central square, was formerly used for packaging operations and has hosted various types of exhibitions, demonstrating a desire to move towards internationalization. A total of 21 buildings are situated within the park, waiting for visitors to admire and explore. Below is the park's layout map. Travel Tips: 1. To use the park's venues for events, applications must be submitted in advance according to regulations, and approval must be obtained. 2. To maintain the quality of visits, please refrain from loud noises, running, or playing once inside the venue. 3. To keep the exhibition space clean and comfortable, smoking, chewing betel nut or gum, and bringing pets, food, or drinks into the exhibition halls are prohibited. 4. Commercial photography and video recording are not allowed in the park. Personal photography must comply with exhibition regulations. 5. For your safety, please do not enter restricted areas or bring dangerous items into the venue. 6. Motor vehicles are prohibited from entering the park and parking violations will be enforced; construction vehicles must park according to park regulations.
