The Chiayi Forest District Office of the Forestry Bureau held the "Beauty Beyond Time" Joint Exhibition at 2F of the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area Visitor Center today (April 10). The event was hosted by Director Chang Tai of the Chiayi Forest District Office, the guests in attendance included Lin Xiao-zhou, village chief of Zhongzheng Village, Alishan; Chen Sheng-an, village chief of Xianglin Village, Alishan; Gao Fang-yi, general manager of Alishan House; Lin Qing-xiong, president of the Alishan Shop Autonomous Association; Chen Huang-ren, president of the Alishan Store Association; Lu Jian-ming, executive secretary of the Alishan Community Development Association; and the local residents of Alishan. Together they unveiled the two oil paintings created by the Japanese colonial era artists Kobayakawa Tokushiro and Tatara Yoshio. Included in the exhibition were also works by self-taught artists Liao Xuan-fu and Liu Yun-xiu. Tourists on site also joined in the exhibition opening ceremony and celebrated the artistic side of Alishan.
Meeting between Japanese Painters and Local Painters
Director Chang Tai of the Chiayi Forest District Office said that the two oil paintings were created in the context of mountain landscapes painted in the bid for the "National Park Proposed Site - New High Mountain Alishan", while the "New High Mountain" is what we know familiarly as Yushan. Kobayakawa Tokushiro and Tatara Yoshio accomplished outstanding achievements in art, and their works show political, historical, economical, and artistic significance. The artworks were first discovered by the Forest District Office in the Alishan House, but they were damaged due to the humid climate that was not conducive to the preservation of paintings. In order to rescue the precious paintings, Assistant Professor Saskia Wu of the National Tainan University of the Arts and her team were commissioned to complete the restoration. After one year, the two paintings could once again be displayed to the world. Currently, application for relic grading has been submitted to the Bureau of Cultural Heritage.
The Alishan National Forest Recreation Area is the only community-type forest recreation area in Taiwan and since logging began on Alishan, there have been people living here. The beautiful sceneries of Alishan known since a young age have been turned into art by the local Alishan residents, the two self-taught artists Liao Xuan-fu and Liu Yun-xiu, and exhibited at the "Beauty Beyond Time" Joint Exhibition. Liao Xuan-fu said that he was very grateful to the Forest District Office for providing the opportunity to exhibit his work together with the paintings of the two masters Kobayakawa Tokushiro and Tatara Yoshio. He was also very grateful for the support of his family that enabled him to pick up the paint brush once again. In the future, he will work even harder to create more art so that everyone can get to see the even more beautiful Alishan.
Director Chang said that this was the first time that residents were invited to participate in the event through a festive mood of celebration for Alishan. In addition, before the event, invitation cards were widely distributed to every household in the forest recreation area in the hopes that everyone can participate in the event together. In addition to letting visitors see the sceneries of Alishan, it was hoped that they can also get to see the unique culture and art, as well as the other charms of Alishan. Visitors are encouraged not to miss out on this opportunity to come see the exhibition, which will be running for three months (April 10 to July 10). When they come visit nature, make sure to also come and enjoy these 11 artworks at the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area Visitor Center.
Ending of the Alishan Flower Season and Opening Ceremony of the Art Exhibition
April 10 is the last day of the Alishan Flower Season. Today, the Forest District Office invited the Topsing Vocal Ensemble to come perform well-known Chinese and Taiwanese pop songs. Their diverse repertoire provided a stunning visual and auditory feast for the members of the public who came from afar, and the last day ended through this exclusively Alishan celebration.
The Chiayi Forest District Office said that inside the forest recreation area, it is flowering season for the Oshima cherry by Zhaoping Park, the Taiwan pleione and Hall crabapple by the Alishan Ecocenter, the Japanese wisteria by Ciyun Temple, and the false-gold-flower rhododendron along the Zhushan line. From mid to late April, double flowering cherry varieties such as white elephant cherry will also be gradually blooming. Visitors are recommended to go and admire the flowers at the various blossoming sites and experience the mountain charm.
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