Taiwan historical site resumes role as community center

The Taiwan historical site known as the Red House has undergone renovation and now plays a community role that draws a varied crowd of artists, tourists, moviegoers and people with alternative lifestyles. "The goal of the team assigned to manage the historical site is to set up the place as a platform for developing a multi-cultural environment, transforming it into a development center for cultural and creative industries in Taipei, " said Liu Wen-ting, vice supervisor of the Red House under the Taipei Culture Foundation. The Red House is a Western-style brick structure in Taipei's Ximending area, built in 1908 during Japanese occupation. The location originally served as one of Taipei's earliest public markets. The Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government commissioned the Taipei Culture Foundation to manage the Red House in November 2007. The area started to undertake a series of cultural transformations, including the creation of a "Creative Boutique" marketplace for artists and designers in the Cruciform Building section of the Red House; the opening of the Moonlight Movie Theater every weekend; and reorganization of an outdoor cafe. "After the renovation, about 300,000 visitors come every month, 40 percent of them from other countries, " Liu told the Central News Agency, adding that most of the tourists come from Hong Kong or Japan. Many tourists from mainland China also visit to learn how the place has been managed and revitalized, Liu said. The key mission of the management team now is to go from helping young, amateur creators present their works to helping artists have their own boutiques and develop their art careers, Liu said. "Currently we have 16 boutiques inside the Red House, and we have also started to hold exhibitions to present some of the artwork here in the main area. The first of these are the works of the artist Heidi (Huang) -- this exhibit runs through the end of June, " Liu said, adding that the foundation will take artists to Shanghai in June to promote their works there as well. Another development is centered in the south plaza behind the building: The area has become a popular hangout for the gay community. The square is surrounded by many cafes and bars with open-air seating; at night people gather to enjoy live bands and cocktails. "This area used to be called 'Rainbow Plaza' due to its open and free attitude toward homosexuals, " said Vincent Lee, owner of the Taipei Bear Bar. "But now many people bring their families, and tourists come here too; in the future, I believe, the place will belong to everyone," he said. An owner who goes by the name Gaga agreed. "I have many customers, not just gays, from Japan and other countries. The reason they come here so often is because we have become good friends. They come here to see me and I will introduce them to some interesting new places, even be their tour guide, " he said. Gaga has operated a bar in the plaza for more than five years, and said Ximending has traditionally been gay-friendly. "That's probably why many gay friends like to come here, " he said. Gaga said he is optimistic about the development of the neighborhood. "The area has convenient public transportation as well as many restaurants, cafes and gyms that attract people, not just gay friends but also tourists from other countries and local friends too, " he said. Gaga said the area's charm was so irresistible that he closed another store in Taipei's Neihu Technology Park so he could move to Ximending to live two years ago. By Sunnie Chen CNA Staff Reporter enditem/bc