To promote cross-strait exchange between museums related to Zhang Xueliang (Chang Hsueh-liang), a delegation led by Hsinchu County Government Secretary-general Lee Anyu departed for Shenyang on September 8. The delegation included Losing Asan, director of Hsinchu’s Zhang Xueliang Cultural Park; Takun Baysu’, mayor of Wufeng Township; and other related personnel. Together, they participated in the Cross-strait Three Museums Annual Meeting. At the meeting, it was announced that the 11th Annual Meeting will be hosted by Hsinchu County next year (2025). Director Losing Asan of Hsinchu’s Zhang Xueliang Cultural Park received the meeting banner on behalf of Hsinchu County. Secretary-general Lee Anyu also invited all meeting attendees to Hsinchu County to appreciate the beautiful scenery in Wufeng Township’s Qingquan Scenic Area, and experience the charm of Taiwan's technology capital.
Secretary-general Lee Anyu stated in the meeting that cross-strait Zhang Xueliang memorial museum exchanges over the past ten years have not only enriched each museum’s exhibition contents, but also deepened and substantiated the museums’ research. Although the meetings were suspended for 5 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the friendly and warm relations among meeting members stayed just as deep once the meeting was resumed this year. The exchange is carried out based on principles of equality and reciprocity, resource sharing, and win-win collaboration. The delegation extended many thanks for the warm hospitality offered by the exhibition hall at Zhang Xueliang’s Former Residence in Shenyang, and experienced Shenyang City’s urban development and progress, and the kindness of the people there.
The three cross-strait Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang museums are located in Shenyang, Liaoning; Hsinchu, Taiwan; and Xi’an, Shaanxi. The annual meeting has been held since 2010; the first meeting was hosted by the Marshal Zhang Museum in Shenyang. Through taking turns to host meetings, a solid friendship has been built between the museums. This year’s Cross-strait, Three Museums Annual Meeting was hosted by the exhibition hall at Zhang Xueliang’s Former Residence in Shenyang. The annual meeting included discussion about recent progress in Zhang Xueliang-related research and museum development issues, and visits to local representative museums, cultural heritage, creative cultural districts, and featured landscapes. The hosts enthusiastically shared their promotion experiences, and showcased innovative models for public education, tourism, and industry development.
The annual meeting opening ceremony was held the morning of September 10. This was followed by the Cross-strait, Three Museums Academic Exchange Forum, in which each museum shared its operational focuses and development directions for meeting attendees. This allowed exchanging cultural development ideas, tourism resources, and cultural and historical resources, to achieve the goals of sharing and reciprocity, and create tourism prosperity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Representatives of the three museums gave gifts to each other during the meeting. The gift given by the Taiwan delegation was a piece by Liuli Art Glass Workshop called Faith Never Stops: The Beauty of Harmony. The work combines the forms of a dragon with the Taiji symbol. This symbolizes the flow and circulation of yin and yang, which provides a foundation for all things to exist in harmony. The circular shape represents harmony and beauty, with Chinese characters that mean “Deep Friendship” engraved on the base front, to convey the friendly partnership between the three museums. To show appreciation for the host’s hospitality, the delegation also prepared Hsinchu County’s famous Oriental Beauty Tea, Samu maqaw (“mountain peppercorn”) coffee, and colored glaze persimmon glass ornaments as gifts to meeting attendees.
The Zhang Xueliang Former Residence in Taiwan is located in Wufeng Township’s Qingquan Scenic Area. The area is characterized by its hot spring, geothermal energy, and natural resources, as well as by Taiwan’s Indigenous cultural heritage. Hsinchu County Government has initiated the Qingquan Scenic Area Spatial Renovation Project to improve the landscape along trails near Zhang Xueliang’s former residence, and the facilities in the Hall of Indigenous Peoples and the Forest of Art. The implementation of the 2025 Wufeng Township Qingquan Hot Spring Development Project, the opening of the Feng Market, and the 2025 Cross-strait, Three Museums Annual Meeting are using deep travel to energize local communities. Development opportunities create local momentum that can proactively promote what makes Hsinchu County special.