Chiang Wanan's city government recently launched "Taipei Cultural Tour: Van Gogh Chapter", placing Van Gogh's paintings in 20 cultural attractions including Beiyi, Songyan, Beiliu, and Beitou Central New Village. However, legislator Chen Peiyu criticized Chiang Wanan, "Do you really understand Taipei?"
Chen Peiyu said on Facebook today (26th) that it is certainly a good thing for international art to come to Taipei, but the biggest problem with the "Taipei Cultural Tour" launched by the Chiang Kai-shek City Government this time is "how much more Taipei do citizens know after this trip?"
Please read on...
Chen Peiyu took the Kaohsiung Popular Music Center's urban story of the "Sapphire Cabaret" as an example, pointing out that this is a very successful city marketing. Kaohsiung City started from the karaoke hall and found theaters, record shops, Western restaurants, cafes, snack bars around the karaoke hall, and even found the old masters who had made red high-heeled shoes for Kang Hong and repaired shoes for artists such as Zhu Geliang, and finally opened up the memory of the entire city.
Chen Peiyu emphasized that although Taipei's municipal government has been dilapidated for a long time, Taipei's cultural heritage has never disappeared, but has continued to accumulate. "But has Jiang Wanan seen it? Are you willing to see it?" Chen Peiyu believes that Taipei's cultural heritage has never disappeared, but has continued to accumulate. There are so many stories to tell in this city, including the tea shop, cloth shop and north-south goods in Dadaocheng, the temples and street shops in Menga, the hot springs and Nakasi in Beitou, the old houses and literary memories in the south of the city, and the old bookstalls and small theaters in Guling Street.
In addition, Chen Peiyu revealed that there are also movies, pop music and youth culture in Ximending, as well as cultural museums, cartoon exhibitions and independent bookstores that have continued to attract attention in recent years. When it comes to specific places to visit during the trip, they include Star Cafe, Kishuan, Wisteria House, Yin Haiguang’s Former Residence, Toad Mountain, Treasure Rock and other places.
Chen Peiyu said that in terms of literature, there are also Chengnan written by Lin Haiyin, as well as people who have written in this city from generation to generation, such as Bai Xianyong, Zhu Tianwen, Zhu Tianxin, and Zhang Dachun; Taipei's poems include Shaoxian, Yu Guangzhong, Zhou Mengdie, and Honghong; His paintings include Guo Xuehu's paintings of the prosperity of Dadaocheng, and Hong Ruilin's walks into the mines to paint the lives of workers; Taipei's movies include scenes from Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, and Tsai Ming-liang; Taipei's comics include Ao Youxiang, Zheng Wen, Hsieh Donglin, and Ruan Guangming.
Chen Peiyu pointed out that Taipei’s theaters include Lanling Theater Workshop, Performance Workshop, Screen Performance Class, Honghong and Kuling Street Small Theater; Taipei’s music can range from Beitou’s Nakashi to campus folk songs, from Li Zongsheng, Chen Sheng to Mayday, from Live House to today’s Beiliu.
Chen Peiyu believes that the more important thing is that "what really makes Taipei Taipei is the people." Therefore, she is quite puzzled. Taipei obviously has so many stories, but why did Jiang Wanan first think of Van Gogh when he saw Taipei? She pointed out that the question is not "Does Van Gogh have anything to do with Taipei?" The real question is "How much does Chiang Wanan have to do with Taipei's culture?"
Chen Peiyu said that of course it would be okay if Jiang Wanan only knew Van Gogh, and he could also enter Taipei. For example, "Open-air Café at Night" takes everyone into Taipei's old cafes, "Potato Eaters" reminds people of the miners in the painter Hong Ruilin's paintings, and Van Gogh painted the night sky of Arles. Let's talk about how Guo Xuehu painted Dadaocheng.
Chen Peiyu said that perhaps we can start from Van Gogh's paintings and lead everyone to re-understand the history of Taiwan's art, literature, film, and theater. That would be the true encounter between the international and the local. Otherwise, Van Gogh will be just Van Gogh, and Taipei will be just the background.
Chen Peiyu lamented that Jiang Wanan and the city government team understood "culture" as IP, "urban curation" as check-in, and turned the city that has accumulated a century of modern culture into the background of a few beautiful photos.
In this regard, Chen Peiyu publicly shouted to Jiang Wanan, pointing out that Taipei really does not lack culture. What it lacks is people who are truly willing to walk into its alleys, read its books, watch its movies, listen to its songs, and are willing to understand the city well. "The real Taipei cultural tour allows us to rediscover Taipei and become Taipei people who can speak Taipei city culture."
