National Taiwan Museum of Comics

The National Taiwan Museum of Comics (NTMC; traditional Chinese: 國家漫畫博物館; simplified Chinese: 国家漫画博物馆; pinyin: Guójiā Mànhuà Bówùguǎn) is an upcoming museum in West District, Taichung, Taiwan.

National Taiwan Museum of Comics

國家漫畫博物館
Former Taichung Prison Governor Mansion
Established	2025
Location	West, Taichung, Taiwan
Coordinates	24°08′02.7″N 120°40′26.7″E
Type	museum
Website	www.ntmc.gov.tw

History

On 1 September 2017, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung proposed to build a comic museum. Later on 20 October, Ministry of Culture and Taichung City Government announced they will be establishing the National Comics Museum in Taichung Shuinan Economic and Trade Park. The museum will be part of the Central Taiwan Cinema Center, which later started construction on 2 April 2018.

On 13 May 2020, due to disputes over the spacing arrangements of the Central Taiwan Cinema Center, the Ministry of Culture decided to withdraw the museum from the location.

On 23 September 2020, the Ministry of Culture then chose two sites for the proposed site for the comic museum, which were Empire Sugar Factory Taichung Office (Chinese: 帝國製糖廠臺中營業所) and Xinmin Street Railway Warehouses (Chinese: 臺鐵新民街倉庫群).^[1] The museum is expected to be opened by the end of 2023.^[2] However, the plan was then halted in early 2023 due to a land ownership dispute.

On 1 April 2023, the Japanese-era Taichung Prison (Chinese: 臺中刑務所) was chosen as the new location for the museum. The building complex in which the museum will be established was constructed in 1937 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan as a training ground for prison officers to practice judo and kendo.^[3] After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, the venue was transformed into Taichung Prison.^[4]

Architecture

The museum will occupy a total land of more than two hectares. It will consist of 19 Japanese buildings and one planned building.^[2] These includes the Budokan Martial Arts Hall, built in 1937 to train prison guards, and the officials’ quarters, built in 1915.^[4]

Transportation

The museum will be accessible northeast from Wuquan Station of Taiwan Railways Administration.

Gallery

• 
  Budokan Martial Arts Hall
• 
• 
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  Comics exhibition in one of the Japanese buildings
• 
  Mirror Lake

See also

• List of museums in Taiwan

References

1. "Historic sites in Taichung selected for proposed national comics museum". Ministry of Culture. 21 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
2. "Museum to open on historic Taichung site". Taipei Times. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
3. "Natural Way Six Arts Center". Taichung Travel. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
4. Tseng, Esther. "National Taiwan Museum of Comics: A Home for Manhua in Taichung". Taiwan Panorama Magazine | An international, bilingual magazine for Chinese people around the world (in Chinese). Retrieved 15 November 2024.