Although Lukang is a small town, local historian Chen Shih-hsien notes that within this small area there are at least 60 temples, indicating its importance as a center of religious worship. Lin Ming-teh, chairman of the Chinese Folk-Arts Foundation, calls Lukang, where the major Chinese belief systems of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism come together, a “town of deities.”

The Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, in collaboration with the Jim Thompson Art Center and Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, co-organizes the international exhibition “The Shattered Worlds: Micro Narratives from the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the Great Steppe.” Opened on Apr. 3, the exhibition features Taiwan-based Malaysian artist Au Sow-yee (區秀詒) and Taiwanese artist Yang Jun (楊俊).

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released a statement on April 3 indicating its deep concern over China’s military exercises around Taiwan. On the same day, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also expressed its concern on X.

Lukang, which once ranked second behind Tainan and ahead of Bangka (Wanhua) as one of Taiwan’s top three population centers, is a historic town that flourished for a time during the Qing Dynasty. Faced with the ravages of time, it has maintained its posture of stubborn resistance, and like the canal towns of the Yangtze Delta or the lagoon city of Venice, Lukang today still retains its old-time charm.

President Lai urged the commercial and industrial sectors to collaborate with the government to ensure the country’s continued development.

The exhibition “ARCHIVE, OR FOUND OBJECTS: Paint House Ex-situ Preservation Project,” co-organized by the Ministry of Culture (MOC), Asia Art Archive (AAA), and Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), was inaugurated on Mar. 29. It is part of the “Histories and Archives of Independent Art Spaces of Asia” international symposium, which will take place from Apr. 11 to 13.