04/09/2025
We are delighted to share that the Pingtung King Boat Museum has been featured on the cover of the September 2025 issue of Architect Magazine!
A Cultural Revival of a Fishing Harbor — Preserving and Passing Down Taiwan’s King Boat Festival
The first step begins with the profound roots of traditional beliefs along the coasts of Asia. Taking Taiwan’s Donggang King Boat Festival as its point of departure, the project transforms deeply rooted folk beliefs into the core narrative axis of the cultural museum. This design endeavor is not merely the construction of space but also the practice of cultural revival: from reverence for the Wangye belief, extending to the exquisite art of boatbuilding, the everyday life of ordinary people, and the cultural memory of the fishing town—ultimately expanding into a cultural journey with strong potential for tourism.
Cultural Tourism Strategy — Transforming a Triennial Event into Sustainable Cultural Tourism
The King Boat Festival reflects the coastal communities’ reliance on and reverence for oceanic beliefs. Through the construction and burning of the King Boat, residents symbolically communicate with the deities to expel plagues, praying for favorable weather and the well-being of the region. The festival includes rituals such as welcoming the deities, processions, and ceremonial rites, culminating in the burning of the King Boat—a dramatic climax that symbolizes the expulsion of misfortune and the safeguarding of peace. Guided by the principle that “life is culture, and culture is life,” this project transforms the King Boat tradition, local boatbuilding craftsmanship, and ceremonial practices into a “living museum.” It not only preserves tradition but also expands the possibilities of cultural transmission through design, taking the first step toward imagining a better future for the fishing town.
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