Plans for the CCK Presidential Library

Background

Bird’s-eye view of the Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park

During the past few years, the Foundation and the China Christian Faith, Hope, Love Foundation have been working together on a major new project, establishing the Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library, a joint effort that represents their shared commitment to preserve and enhance Taiwan’s cultural heritage. The beneficiaries of this project will include tourists and members of the general public who choose to visit, as well as academic organizations and scholars in the field of Chinese Studies. Thus, the Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library will serve as living historical monuments that contribute to the public good.

The Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library are dedicated to the memory of President Chiang Ching-kuo (1910-1988), who has long been recognized as a major figure in modern Taiwanese history. Under his leadership, Taiwan was able to overcome all manner of obstacles to its development as part of the “Taiwan Experience”. For example, President Chiang initiated the Ten Major Construction Projects, which marked a watershed in the nation’s economic growth. Moreover, during the waning years of his life, he ended Taiwan’s period of martial law and allowed the formation of opposition parties, while also inaugurating a new era of Cross-Strait ties with Mainland China.

After a leading political figure passes away, a memorial library is often founded to house archives, source materials, cultural artifacts, and other forms of data, all of which are thoroughly collected, collated, and displayed for public reading and academic research. Establishing the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library as the Republic of China’s first presidential library will help preserve and promote knowledge about the nation’s modern history, which is an appropriate means of remembering a leader who earned such deep support and respect.

South side of the Exhibition Hall and Reading Room

A Construction Project to Benefit Academia

In June 2012, the Taipei City Government began accepting proposals for OT (Operate Transfer) and BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) projects for the Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park. Following two years of diligence and dedication during a rigorous review process, an agreement was signed with the Taipei City Government on April 11, 2014. Work on this project has been divided as follows: the Foundation will be responsible for the Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library, while the China Christian Faith, Hope, Love Foundation will take charge of the Visitor Center.

Through the years, the Foundation has diligently persisted in supporting the pursuit of path-breaking scholarship solely on the basis of academic merit, while also promoting its development on the world academic stage. The Foundation’s steadfast resistance against outside interference in scholarly research, as well as strict avoidance of the pursuit of profit, has earned it a sterling reputation, while its support of international scholarly exchange has resulted in numerous concrete achievements. Today the Foundation stands as a model grant-making organization in the field of Chinese Studies, while its core values, management techniques, and broad perspective adhere to the ideals of high moral standards, self-knowledge, and self-discipline that were embodied in the life of President Chiang Ching-kuo.

The China Christian Faith, Hope, Love Foundation is a leading philanthropic organization dedicated to promoting the public good. It holds lectures about topics such as culture, religion, the arts, and family relations on a regular basis, with its activities spanning the globe. It has been recognized by the Ministry of the Interior as one of Taiwan’s most exemplary religious associations.

Central courtyard of the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library

Chi-Hai Residence

Enlivening Monuments and Rebuilding Landscapes

The Chi-Hai Residence was first constructed in 1960, originally serving as a navy reception center before President Chiang Ching-kuo and his family made it their home in 1969. It was President Chiang’s official residence for 19 years, and after President Chiang passed away in 1988 his wife, Mrs. Faina Chiang Fang-Liang (born Faina Ipat’evna Vakhreva), remained there for another 17 years until her death. The Residence’s architecture embraces modernist yet simplistic features reflected the modest lifestyle of President Chiang and his family, which is complemented by the natural beauty of its surrounding landscape.

The Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library will be located at the foot of Mount Jiantan, with Chi-Hai Lake situated off to its right. Facing south, one can gaze across Bei’an Road toward the Keelung River. This site will also be home to a Visitor Center. Its scenic setting and lush landscapes will transform the Cultural Park and Library into new locale for tourism and leisure.

A Platform for International Scholarly Exchange and Research in Chinese Studies

Library and Exhibition Hall

The Foundation is deeply committed to its mission of encouraging scholars at academic institutions throughout the world to undertake research projects in the humanities and social sciences that can allow people throughout the globe to better understand the value of Chinese culture, especially its contributions to human heritage. During the past 27 years, the Foundation has promoted numerous large-scale scholarly endeavors, including the creation of online databases, the International Dunhuang Project, the Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan Series, etc. The Foundation has also established overseas centers in the Czech Republic, North America, Hong Kong, and Germany. In the future, the Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library will serve as a key platform for the promotion of international scholarly exchange. Its spacious and elegant facilities will prove ideal for academic activities such as international conferences, lectures, and training camps for graduate students and junior faculty.

Collecting Historical Documents for the Transmission of Cultural Heritage

As part of plans for utilizing the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library as a major research center, the Foundation has cooperated with numerous scholars and academic institutions in order to catalogue written and visual works that can shed new light on the life and career of President Chiang Ching-kuo. Extensive efforts have been devoted to collecting and analyzing a broad range of written sources, including archival information, memos, minutes of committee meetings, and other important documents from the Chi-Hai Residence entrusted to the Foundation by President Chiang’s descendents. Oral history projects have also been undertaken, as well as extensive efforts in identifying, restoring, and digitizing key photographs and film clips. The ultimate goal of these endeavors is to prepare a detailed digital archive that will be of benefit to future generations of scholars.

The Foundation has devoted continuous effort to the cleaning, photographing, and cataloguing of over 7,000 documents, photographs, and other historical artifacts.
The Foundation has worked with the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, to perpetuate scholarly research on President Chiang’s contributions to Chinese culture, most notably the Chronicle of Major Events in the Life of Chiang Ching-kuo. There are also databases containing records from President Chiang’s diary, as well as the diaries of some members of his personal staff.
The Foundation and the KMT Party History Institute have initiated a project for identifying images and digital photographs of President Chiang, as well as restoring and digitizing key photographs and film clips.
The Foundation has joined forces with the Institute of Modern History to undertake an oral history research project, which has centered on interviews with 32 former members of President Chiang’s personal staff.

View of Chi-Hai Lake and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library

Main buildings of the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library

Diamond-Class Green Buildings at a Site of Natural Beauty

The Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library are situated on 3.98 hectares of prime real estate on the outskirts of Taipei, with over 6,500 square meters set aside for construction purposes. To complement the site’s ecological treasures, all edifices will meet the standards required for diamond-class green buildings, being energy efficient with low carbon footprints. As one promenades around the Cultural Park and Library, one will be able to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, enjoying natural beauty while also reflecting on President Chiang Ching-kuo’s life and accomplishments.

View of the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library from Chi-Hai Lake

Creating a New Digital Library

The Foundation strongly believes that the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library project has the potential to be of immense scholarly value in terms of preserving key primary sources as well as merging archival, audio-visual, and online evidence into a single digital center, which in turn can spark new research on the modernization of Chinese culture and the Taiwan Experience. The Foundation’s vision for the Library is one of more than a collection of books and periodicals; it will also function as a platform for providing internet and digital services (including GIS and Cloud technologies), as well as incorporating the digitized research results from grants that have benefitted from Foundation funding.

Construction Design and Progress

The Ching-kuo Chi-Hai Cultural Park and Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library have been designed by two renowned Taiwanese architects, Charles Phu (currently affiliated with England’s Office for Architectural Culture), as well as Tai-wen Ho and Ya-ping Lin (Wilderness Field). Their design is intended to interpret President Chiang Ching-kuo’s daily life and experiences, especially his philosophical views, personality, achievements, and dreams. The Cultural Park and Library’s spatial features will enhance the experiences of those who come to visit, while also giving voice to the unique characteristics of Taiwanese architecture.

According to the agreement signed with the Taipei City Government on April 11, 2014, the Foundation has the right to operate the Cultural Park and the Library for a period of 50 years, and priority for extending it an additional 20 years. Work is scheduled to begin in Desember 2015, with the Chi-Hai Residence and Visitor Center scheduled for completion in January 2019, and the Library due to be finished in April 2019.

Main reading room of the Chiang Ching-kuo Presidential Library