Introduction to the Museum
The Lukang Folk Arts Museum’s earliest roots date back to the time when Lukang residents had brought along the local cultural relics in their outflow and the prevalent damage to the negligent preservation of local heritage.
As what museums usually does, the Lukang Folk Arts Museum strives to conserve, maintain and fulfill the educational function of the cultural relics it has collected. Cultural relics essentially are the legacy of the ancestors’ spirit and daily life utensils;
It was a sadness that lots of which were lost due to people’s ignorance about their value.
In 1973, Chen-Fu Koo, the former chairperson, assisted by his younger brother Wei-Fu Koo, the founding curator of the museum had contributed to the present scale of today’s museum. Not only does the museum maintains as the pride of Lukgang residents but it also developed to be a significant tourist spot in Taiwan.
At the first phase of the inception of the museum, the architectural predecessors of the Lukang Folk Arts Museum comprised KuFeng Lou( an oblong traditional Fukienese style vintage house) and DaHe Cuo (DaHe House, the name DaHe originated from Hsien-Jung Koo’s business ).
The construction was divided into three phases:1. Trial operation, lasted for 13 years from 1973-1986.2.Renovation and hosting exhibitions, lasted for 25 years from 1987-2012. 3. Preparation period for the modernization and internalization of museum services.
The museum was twice at its visit peaks respectively in the beginning of its inception and quite a few years around 1990.
Around 2005, the museum was in decline in the face of global economic downcast, diverse choices in people’s life, and competitions from other similar folk art museums or museums. The museum is looking forward to a revolutionary transition to revive the brilliance of folk arts. Below is a brief general introduction on the situation before the inception of the museum.
Since Emperor Qiang-long of the Qing Dynasty, there were once 150 thousand people residing in Lukang. By then, Lukang was a town of literati arts with lots of talents in sculpture, calligraphy, nanguan. Literatis gathered at commercial ports and towns, forstering today’s polished culture and folk arts in Lukang.
The approximately hundred-year old KuFeng Lou (building) of the museum was used as SiShu (old-style private school )in the late Qing Dynasty and Japanese Ruling period.
The western style building of this museum was built in 1919, known as the DaHe Cuo (DaHe House; DaHe originated its name from Hsien-Jung Koo’s business of DaHe ShangHang). DaHe Chu was in fact the mansion of Hsien-Jung Koo. The family living room, a conference hall and refined sculptures, women bedroom furniture, original objects are all well preserved at their original positions. This western style building, together with its folk arts constitutes the “Dual treasures” of this museum.
The Lukang Folk Arts Museum was used as a military base temporarily during war time in the 30s-40s. It was fortunately intact under American bombardment in 1994.
After more than 30 years’ desolation, the house of Hsien-Jung Koo was taken over by a private organization and morphed into Lukang Folk Arts Private Museum, Changhua County that exhibits collections of Lukang Folk Arts, presenting the features of "Social History of Taiwan."
The idea of establishing Lukang Folk Arts Museum was initiated by Wei-Fu Koo, with the museum mission of “Retrieving resources from and paying back to the society”.
The Koo family donated the western style building, DaHe Cuo , Chen-Fu Koo donated his collection of artifacts. Chen-Fu Koo and Wei-Fu Koo became the central founding figures of the museum.
Wei-Fu Koo was the first chairperson of the museum and had four consecutive terms of service from 1973-1982 with nine board members.
They have opened up a path of “Collection of Lukang Heritage” and “Provision of Educational Services” for the future generations to inherit.
On 2 October 1973, the museum set up a board of directors with nine directors namely, Chen-Fu Koo, Lian-Zhen Koo, Lian-Song Koo (Jeffrey Koo), Yan-Hong Koo, Rui-bing Ding, Ming-Hui Hou, Kun-Yuan Lin, Wei-Zeng Lin.
There was a preparatory committee consisted of a group of like-minded people that are passionate about the preservation and passing down of cultural heritage, worked for ten months at night in preparation on the folk arts exhibition. They were Principal Wei-Zeng Lin, Section Manager Yu-Shu Ding, Kun-Shan(doctor), Han-Qing Xu(inherited Chinese studies), Guo-Fu Ding(arts), Huan-Cai Guo(arts,display), Da-Yi Lin(landscaping horticulture), Jing-Kui Chen(finance), Ron-He Huang(general affairs,decorations), Cun-Fu Shi(photography) and so on.
On 10 August 1973 Lukang Folk Arts Museum established a museum library and opened to service for the Lukang residents.
The Lukang Folk Arts Museum had its opening ceremony held on 10 November, when guests legislator Yan-Qiu Hong, Tung-min Hsieh, Governor of Taiwan Province and chairperson Wei-Fu Koo attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. From then on, the museum has started to serve the public and fulfilled its three main functions of “preserving Lukang heritage”, “providing parent-child education” and being “the Lukang attraction.”
At the outset of the museum operation, media reported in days the snakes of visitors to the museum, making the museum known to the world as “the most beautiful house in mid-Taiwan”. As one of the significant scenic spots in Taiwan, the Lukang Museum is the most well preserved folk art museum in Taiwan and the first private museum opened to the public.
In its beginning years, any cultural relics related to food, clothing, living and transportation in our daily life were taken as the museum collection.
It can be said that the museum has become the first service-oriented private museum in Taiwan. This was the period when the museum was in trial operation.
In 1982, chairperson Wei-Fu Koo passed away, the museum was in temporarily suspension of service, and local Lukang resident, Zhi-Kun Xu were invited to be the curators.
In 1985, Chen-Fu Koo was appointed as the 5th chairperson and served consecutively for 10 terms from 1985-2003, with 10 directors instead of 9.
In next year 1986, typhoon Wayne severely damaged the museum, ruining its roof so completely that a suspension of operation was called for.
In 1987, WorldTask International Consulting Services was commissioned to undertake the renovation. It was chairpersons Chen-Fu Koo and Zhuo-yun Yan Koo (Cecilia Koo) who initiated the renovation that lasted from 1987-1990. After the renovation, the galleries and exhibits have all been maintained up till today.
In September 1988, Zhuo-yun Yan Koo (Cecilia Koo) took up the position of the curator and served till 2012.
This is the second phase of the museum development--renovation for upgrading services and hosting exhibitions. As various kinds of featured heritage exhibitions such as Chinese paintings, carvings, photography were held, the glamour of the heritage was again revealed to the world and had drawn crowds of local and overseas visitors to the museum, resulting in another performance peak in the museum operation.
When chairpersons Chen-Fu Koo and Zhuo-Yun Yan Koo (Cecilia Koo) n acted as curators, they donated money for the rebuild of the western-style building, the showcase cabinets and the roof of KuFeng Lou. Special exhibitions were held as follows on subjects such as carvings ( 1991 ) , Chinese painting ( 1992 ) , gold lacquer painting ( 1995 ) , and photography ( 2001).
Programs such as the issue of stamp with picture of “Red beds ”by Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd "( 2001) and the co-presentation with Academia Historica of an exhibition on "A centenary celebration of five major prestigious families' in 2010 have expanded the marketing range and promotion of social educational functions.
From 1987 through 1992, there was an opening up of cross strait communication. In the early 1990s at the peak phase of visitors, an estimation of visitors exceeding 15 million had visited the museum.
In 2003, Mr. Lian-Song Koo took up the 11th chairperson of the board of directors, directors members have increased to fourteen. A 31-week "parent-child drawing competition" was held and has become a heat topic during the yearly celebration of as it has become the hotly signed up competition among Changhua, Lukang pupils.
During the Koo’s office, there was an expansion in marketing over the related gift products.
In 2004, KuFeng Lou was completely rebuilt and opened up in stages, till fully opened to the public in 2007. This 100-year old vintage house in Lukang has again drawn many visitors.
In 2006, Mr. Kuan-Min Koo became the 12th chairperson and served for 13 terms of office till 2009, the number of board members were increased to 15.
The website in Chinese, English and Japanese was hosted, and has increased publicity of the museum.
In 2011, Koo Foundation and Yam Digital Technology Co., Ltd. jointly launched a program in which the museum provided special offer on coffee/tea and tourists’ usage of newly bought bikes. Credit card services were also started to facilitate tourists’ purchase of tickets and gifts.
Special exhibitions includes such as Chor Soo Kong’s (ancestral buddhist monk) heritage was organized in 2009 and “The Heritage of the Year of Tiger” in 2010 to increase religious folk arts exhibition while getting closer to the general public’s custom.
This period of time initiated “leisure-oriented” operational mode of our museum.
In June 2012, chairperson Ms. Zhuo-Yun Yan Koo (Cecilia Koo) n nominated Ms. HuaiQun Koo as the curator.
In the same year, the "Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival" was organized, and was the first major "Lantern" activity held in Tiawan, widely covered as highlight by the media. This can be described as the beginning phase of the third phase of the museum development .
On 10 August 2013, Lukang Folk Arts Museum announced:" As a token of appreciation to Lugang residents, residents with household registration at Lukang may enjoy free admission to the museum throughout the year upon registration with valid identification document.” The post of announcement went viral in three days, reaching a browsing record of over 10 thousand people, not to say the news spread verbally among people. The program again won recognition from both residents in Lukang and townfolks outside Lukang .
In September 2013, the museum launched a trial operation of the new website which was expected to run with an additional provision of tours in Chinese, English, Japanese & Korean and other foreign languages. This phase of development is tentatively set as the stage for modernization and internationalization of services.
The Lukang Folk Arts Museum differs itself from public heritage museum, or other kinds of museums. Not only does it showcases cultural heritage but it also elevates the parent-child educational function by providing a field trip venue for over 200 thousand pupils’ visit led by teachers and parents in groups.
The museum aspires to present the development of “civilization” and “culture” in tandem, a leisure-oriented aesthetic area, a tourist spot and a nostalgia journey of our ancestors’ life.
We endeavor to explore our idea on the issue of publications, development of souvenirs, fostering of inter-country heritage exchanges to create a new boom in our museum operation. With the spirit of the Koo family, and the literati atmosphere of Lukang, the Lukang Folk Arts Museum is getting ready to grow in response to international exchanges.(original : positive international comment, sound weird)
The two main publications of the museum are “The Lukang Folk Arts Museum Album" in 1975, prepared by the editorial board of artists, and the "Chinese Folk Arts "in 1985 by the museum editorial board.
In November 2013, Ming-Fa Shi as chief editor compiled 3 volumes of "Interview at the 40th Anniversary of Lukang Folk Arts Museum".
Other publications are the booklet on " The Artists Directory for the Exhibition on Contemporary Chinese Painting Masters held in Celebration of the 6th Anniversary of Lukang Folk Arts Museum; two booklets on “Exhibition on Lukang Traditional Wedding Features.”
The future four-language museum journals on academic researches and international exchanges will be one of the important supports in helping education of the society and promotion of the museum internationally.
Museum has a rich collection of cultural relics in nine categories stated as follows:1) Calligraphy & Painting works 2) Furniture and carvings 3) Chinese opera, puppets 4) Religions & rituals 5) China and eating utensils 6) Clothing & Tailoring 7) Daily supplies 8) Historical documents 9) Household items of late Qing Dynasty reflecting the general impression of Taiwan folk arts that has spanned more than 150 years. The museum has a robust collection of 6000 articles, among which 3000 pieces are on permanent display while the other 3000 pieces will be showcased at other special exhibitions, awaiting experts’ enthusiastic participation and researches, The Lukang Folk Arts Museum will be renovating the house of Koo Family, and proceed to its gradual reformations in services, getting ready to receiving international visitors by upgrading the operation to international standard.
Our dual targets in this reformation are “enriching our cultural asset” and “internationalization of this leisure spot”.
We sincerely invite culturally- concerned visitors (visitor from cultural circles sound too narrow) from all corners to come and visit the Lukang Folk Arts Museum to share the honor of the Koo family.
Editing by Ke-Yang Liu,Executive Assistant to Curator on Nov 1, 2013
Appendix: Timeline of the Lukang Folk Arts Museum
Timeline
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