Culture Minister Li Yuan Inspects NMTH Expansion, Urging Ecological Methods for Cultural Forest Vision

Minister of Culture Li Yuan recently visited Tainan to tour local benchmark cultural bases rich in historical significance, gaining a firsthand understanding of the operational status and development potential of regional cultural facilities. During the inspection tour, Li issued specific directives and expectations regarding the National Museum of Taiwan History's (NMTH) phase two expansion project, which was officially announced in January. He emphasized that during the planning and construction phases of this highly anticipated expansion, ecological engineering methods and greening concepts must be skillfully applied to organically stitch together and integrate the somewhat stark surrounding landscape of the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center, thereby extending and establishing the grand vision of a "Thousand-Mile Cultural Forest." During his visit, Li earnestly stated that when facing the balancing act between contemporary urban development and environmental conservation, "we must plant the trees back." This is not merely a simple reforestation slogan, but the manifestation of a core philosophy combining cultural governance with ecological sustainability.

Looking back at the developmental trajectory of the NMTH, it has served as a vital stronghold in southern Taiwan for the preservation, research, and exhibition of Taiwan's history and culture since its inception. As the museum's operations mature and public demand for cultural and recreational spaces continuously rises, the NMTH officially announced the launch of its phase two expansion project in January, symbolizing that the museum is about to enter a brand-new milestone of development. The second-phase project aims not only to enhance the museum's collection spaces, research facilities, and exhibition capacity, but more importantly, to forge tighter connections with the surrounding geographical environment and local communities. As the nation's top official overseeing cultural affairs, Li's special trip south for an inspection was intended to ensure that this national-level cultural construction becomes localized and ecological, while achieving optimal coordination and symbiosis with surrounding large-scale public facilities, thereby elevating cultural base construction beyond mere hardware expansion into an overall enhancement of environmental aesthetics and ecological value.

The most closely watched geographical intersection in this phase two expansion project lies in the landscape integration between the NMTH campus and the adjacent Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center. As a major base promoted by the Tainan City Government in recent years for the sports industry and large-scale events, the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center features massive hardware facilities; however, its heavy use of concrete structures and artificial pavement inevitably fragments the surrounding natural ecology and green belts. Li's proposal to use "ecology" to stitch together the baseball training center stems from recognizing the opportunity to transform the boundary between the cultural and sports domains. Through professional landscape ecological planning, opening up green corridors between the two will not only soften the coldness of the large sports venue but also allow museum visitors and baseball fans alike to move through a verdant environment, achieving a triple-win situation for culture, sports, and natural ecology.

Building upon this foundation, Li further outlined the grander vision of a "Thousand-Mile Cultural Forest." The core thinking of this vision is to break away from the past, point-based operational model of cultural facilities, and instead connect Taiwan's precious cultural assets, historical sites, and natural green belts into a dense and vibrant cultural-ecological network. As the starting point of Taiwan's historical development and a major cultural hub, Tainan possesses a wealth of top-tier cultural bases. These bases resemble trees or groves within a forest, while the NMTH's phase two expansion and surrounding afforestation project serve as the critical pivot connecting these points, lines, and planes. Li emphasized that "we must plant the trees back." The deeper meaning behind this statement is the hope that within a highly developed modern society, we can rediscover the profound connection between humanity and the land, as well as between history and nature, allowing the power of culture to continuously grow and endure like a forest.

Viewed from a long-term national cultural strategy, the Ministry of Culture's vision not only concerns the sustainable development of Tainan's local culture but also establishes a benchmark for public infrastructure across all of Taiwan that balances ecology and culture. When the spaces of cultural bases are no longer merely enclosed exhibition halls, but large green corridors capable of expanding outward and integrating with the surrounding ecological environment, cultural equality and environmental sustainability can be realized simultaneously. Li's trip to Tainan and his expectations for the Thousand-Mile Cultural Forest have injected strong ideological momentum and policy support into the NMTH's phase two expansion. As the expansion project gradually advances and the afforestation and ecological stitching plans are implemented, this cultural forest combining historical memory, athletic vitality, and natural greenery will progressively transform from a blueprint into reality, writing an important chapter of foresight and humanistic care for Taiwan's cultural governance.