Page 12 - 2025大墩美展30年．巨匠名作特展專輯-電子書

Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition of Taichung City 30th Anniversary:

Masters' Works Special Exhibition

Curator / HSIAO Chong-Ray

In the 1970s, Taiwan faced its greatest political challenges since the war. First, in April 1970, CHIANG Ching-Kuo
was the target of an assassination attempt during his visit to the United States. Then, in August of the same year, the
sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands erupted, which in turn triggered the “Protect Diaoyutai Movement” launched
by Taiwanese students studying in the U.S. in February of the following year.
In 1971, international circumstances surrounding the controversy over “China’s representation” gradually turned
unfavorable for the Republic of China. On June 15, President CHIANG Kai-Shek called for the nation to “Respect the
Homeland, Strengthen Self; Respond to Change without Fear.” Soon after, on October 25, the Nationalist government
formally withdrew from the United Nations, which was followed by a wave of countries severing diplomatic relations with
the Republic of China. In response, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan issued the Statement on Our National Fate, urging
the government not to isolate itself from the international community.
The following year, in February 1972, the People’s Republic of China and the United States issued the Shanghai
Communiqué in preparation for establishing formal diplomatic ties; in September, Japan cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
On April 5, 1975, CHIANG Kai-Shek passed away. Later that year, on December 25, CHIANG Ching-Kuo, serving as
Premier, announced the “Six-Year Economic Development Plan,” proposing new programs and measures to guide Taiwan
into a new stage of self-construction—among which the deepening of cultural roots was set as an important policy priority.
In 1977, Premier CHIANG Ching-Kuo delivered a comprehensive policy report to the Legislative Yuan, in which he
proposed the “Twelve Major National Construction Projects (1980–85).” The twelfth project specifically called for “planning
cultural development, establishing cultural centers in every county and city, including libraries, museums, and concert
halls.”
In 1979, the Executive Yuan promulgated the Plan to Reinforce Cultural and Recreational Activities as a guideline for
advancing cultural construction. The Ministry of Education subsequently launched the Plan for Establishing County and
City Cultural Centers. It was under this wave of government-supported initiatives that the Taichung Municipal Cultural
Center (today the Dadun Cultural Center) was founded in 1983, becoming one of the local cultural centers of that era.
In short, the establishment of “cultural centers” in Taiwan was far more than the construction of exhibition and art
venues. Rather, it is an important initiative for this land to seek self-identity and even the continuation of its peoples amid
the shifting international landscape. Culture is not merely an embellishment of life, but the lifeline of survival; at the same
time, it has moved beyond the postwar mindset of “political warfare” and “propaganda,” entering instead into a deeper
realm of spiritual introspection and expression, and becoming a vital asset in the construction of civilization.
In the history of modern Taiwanese culture, Taichung stands as an important landmark. The History of the Taiwan
Governor-General’s Police compiled by the Japanese even noted: “In central Taiwan, the upper strata of society have

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