Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) An ambitious goal of upgrading the Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) to a full ministry, the establishment of five cultural parks and the integration of national cultural databases are the CCA's plans for the coming year, a council spokesman said Monday.
"We hope for the establishment of the Ministry of Culture in 2008. This has been a hope of cultural workers for many years, " said CCA Chairwoman Wong Chin-chu at a year-end press conference.
A substantial organizational restructuring within the Executive Yuan has been underway, she said, adding that the CCA could be upgraded to the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. While the final result is not clear, Wong expressed hope that the council can be upgraded.
Wong said the council has done a lot of work to prepare for the establishment of a cultural assets management organization and an institute that integrates Taiwanese traditional arts, which has helped the council get ready for the upgrade.
Looking ahead to the coming year, the council plans to complete the establishment of five creative culture parks around the nation as the second phase of the Creative Culture Initiative.
The parks will include the Huashan Culture Park in Taipei, the Taiwan Architecture, Design and Art Center in Taichung, the Tainan Creative Culture Park focusing on animation, the Hualien Creative Culture Park focusing on leisure and a creative culture park in Chiayi.
The CCA has been also collaborating with the Ministry of Economic Affairs on an initiative to make 2011 a big year for Taiwan's creative culture industry, she said.
The year will include a world design annual congress, an international craft exposition, the opening of the South Wing of the National Palace Museum and an international creative culture exposition, she said.
In 2007, the council devoted its energy to establishing local cultural subjectivity and exchanges with foreign countries, Wong said, adding that the CCA is planning to set up a third Taiwan Cultural Center in Japan, in addition to ones already established in Paris and New York.