Taiping Steamer Memorial Park was recently inaugurated in Keelung as part of Ministry of Culture efforts promoting the northern Taiwan port city’s abundance of historical assets and further enriching the cultural lives of residents and visitors.
“The park is a valuable cultural asset to be passed down from generation to generation,” MOC Minister Cheng Li-chiun said Jan. 27 at the inauguration ceremony. “It will become a part of everyday life and contribute to sustainable development.”
Situated on the grounds of the Republic of China (Taiwan) navy base in Zhongzheng District, the park contains a monument to the 932 souls who perished after the Keelung-bound Taiping collided with a cargo ship and sank Jan. 27, 1949, near Zhousan Archipelago off Ningbo city in mainland China.
Departing from Shanghai, the steamer was filled to twice its capacity with refugees fleeing encroaching communist forces. Only around 50 people were rescued by passing Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Warramunga and fishermen living on the archipelago.
The monument, which was set up in 1951 and inscribed by late master calligrapher Yu You-ren, was off-limits to the public until early last month. Families of the victims previously had to apply to the Ministry of National Defense for access.
According to the MOC, the first comprehensive memorial service co-staged by families of the victims from Taiwan and mainland China took place in 2010. Families and friends of the victims sailed to the area where the Taiping sank and paid tribute by casting 1,000 white chrysanthemums and 1,000 paper cranes into the sea.
The park is part of the local government’s NT$823 million (US$28.1 million) project aimed at strengthening the preservation and revitalization of cultural sites and historical memories. It connects with other attractions such as the Lee Family Mansion, old stone wall of Dashawan and attached military compounds and dormitories, Sino-French War Memorial Park and Uhrshawan Battery.
Keelung boasts a rich culture based on 400 years of documented maritime and trading history. This incorporates the influences of indigenous plains aborigines and Spanish settlers, as well as Qing dynasty (1644-1911) administration and Japanese colonial rule. (1895-1945). (JSM)
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