Thanks to Zheng Lijun and Lin Youchang for their support in the past. Tong Ziwei: Cultural governance fights Keelung’s urban transformation

Tong Ziwei, Speaker of Keelung City and candidate for Keelung Mayor of the Democratic Progressive Party, accompanied Vice President of the Executive Yuan Zheng Lijun and former Keelung Mayor Lin Youchang to visit the "Keelung 400 Special Exhibition" today (8th), talking about Keelung's 400 years of history and the next stage of the city's development. Tong Ziwei said that Keelung was once an important gateway for Taiwan to connect to the world. The port, historical buildings, neighborhoods and the life memories left by different ethnic groups are all precious assets of the city. If elected, he will use "cultural governance" as the basis to further connect transportation, tourism and local industries, making culture a force for urban development and local economy.

Tong Ziwei said that this year marks the 400th anniversary of Keelung. He specially invited Zheng Lijun and Lin Youchang, important partners who have participated in Keelung's cultural policy and urban transformation, to view the exhibition. On the one hand, he looks back at how Keelung has gone through 400 years, and also hopes to rethink from history where Keelung should go in the next stage. He pointed out that for hundreds of years, different ethnic groups have met and settled in Keelung, forming a unique living culture. From the ports, streets, historical buildings, to the stories left by generations of citizens, they are all important foundations for Keelung to find its own position today.

Tong Ziwei recalled that when Zheng Lijun was the Minister of Culture and Lin Youchang was the Mayor of Keelung, they worked together to promote urban transformation. As a Keelung City Councilor at the time, he saw with his own eyes the "Greater Keelung Historical Scene Representation and Integration Plan", which brought the originally dormant historical space back into the lives of citizens, and witnessed the city expo allowing more people from outside the city to re-understand Keelung. He said that these experiences have allowed him to gradually understand that "cultural governance" must start from the history and character of the city in order to connect transportation, tourism, industry, public space and urban development.

Zheng Lijun said that Keelung is a very important historical city in Taiwan and an important entrance for exchanges between Taiwan and the world. Since the Age of Discovery, different cultures, ethnic groups and lifestyles have met in this city, accumulating rich and unique cultural assets; therefore, Keelung’s 400th anniversary is an important opportunity to re-understand the city’s history and establish cultural subjectivity. She also looks forward to Keelung’s continued deepening of cultural governance in the future, making history and culture an important foundation for urban innovation and development.

Lin Youchang said that in the past, he promoted the reappearance of the historical scenes of Greater Keelung, the improvement of the port area and the city expo, hoping to reorganize the historical context of the city and allow Keelung people to re-see their own urban value. He pointed out that urban governance requires one step after another. Currently, Keelung has accumulated a lot of historical, cultural and urban regeneration foundations. However, cultural construction and urban transformation require long-term policy direction and continuous investment. How to integrate it with tourism, industry and living environment in the future is an important issue in the next stage.