Chimei Museum, Rende District
Walk about twenty minutes:
The entrance of the square has a grand Fountain of Apollo, and a bridge crosses the moat with a row of fierce white lion heads along the side and solemn Olympus statues on top. The front entrance of the museum features a tall dome shape and Greek columns, a grand design befitting a palace of cultural treasures. Perched at the building’s highest point is the Angel of Glory statue, a reproduction of the work of French sculptor Louis-Ernst Barrias. Holding a laurel and bugle, her beautiful figure stands forever atop Chimei Museum to symbolize protection of this country, and glorify the beautiful people and things in this world. The main building is 150 meters wide at the front and 42 meters tall, and it cost NTD 1.3 billion to build, a big gift given to Tainan City by Hsu Wen-long, founder of the Chimei Group. After opening in 2015, it became a top destination for both Taiwanese and foreign visitors. The museum occupies 9.5 hectares, and it contains countless precious international works of art, collected in order to realize Hsu Wen-long’s big dream of a “local museum, making music and art available to everyone, from 3-year-old infants to 90 year old grandparents, a boundless palace of aesthetic culture”. Tourists in Tainan absolutely must experience this European style palace full of cultural treasures.
