英文摘要 |
The preservations of cultural assets have been highly political under Japanese rule and after the Second World War in Taiwan and the shifting of political powers has direct impacts on the essence and contents of preservations. Local residents and societies have pleaded with the governments to enact and revise laws in this regard, therefore, the governments which hold the power and authority play a critical role in cultural preservations. The octagon building in Yensui is a typical Taiwanese ancient house with attics. Built at the end of Ching Dynasty by Taiwanese business tycoons and conscripted by the Japanese government, it is the only surviving octagonal building in Taiwan. The building symbolizes the progression of Taiwanese modern history which is highly valuable and in need of protection. After the Second World War when Taiwan broke away from Japan in 1945, due to the fact that the building was once resided by the royal house of Fushimi in the Yi-Wei War and listed as a historic site under Japanese rule (the royal residence of the house of Fushimi in Yensui). Thereupon, the classical Chinese building has a tinge of Japanese colonialism. In the meantime, the shifting of octagon building's position and its value depends on the local government's policies and their perspectives on cultural assets. The octagon building exemplifies the difficulties of registering, improving and maintenance of privately own cultural assets. It also demonstrates an importance case of evolving practices of preserving historic relics in modern Taiwan. This study presents the case of the octagon building in Yensui to reexamine government's reform and exertions on cultural preservations. From a perspective of cultural preservations this research takes a retrospective look from 1945 to 2013 to reinterpret the significance of the building's historic meaning. |