Banqiao Broadcasting Station: Legendary Broadcasting Arts and Cultural Creative Park

The Banqiao Broadcasting Station was constructed in 1930 by Shunichi Kuriyama, an engineer for the Taiwan Governor-General's Office during the Japanese colonial period. It covers a base area of 1.74 hectares, with the main historic building occupying 1263 square meters. It utilized the most advanced steel frame and reinforced concrete structure of its time, with walls made of hollow reinforced concrete and heat-insulating hollow bricks to maintain indoor ventilation and cool temperatures. The facade design emphasized horizontal lines and curved forms, characteristic of late Japanese colonial period modernism in Taiwan, and it was one of the five major broadcasting facilities. After World War II, it was taken over by the Broadcasting Corporation of China. Originally, due to disuse, it faced demolition, but local residents advocated for its preservation. In 2015, the New Taipei City Government designated it as a municipal historic monument. The outdoor park area was completed and opened to the public in 2019, and the main historic building underwent restoration and adaptive reuse in 2022. The Contemporary Legend Cultural Arts Foundation has acquired a 15-year operating right (2022-2037). Led by artistic director Wu Hsing-kuo, it brings together the Contemporary Legend Theatre, Hsing Legend Youth Theatre, Taigu Tales Dance Theatre, and Little Legend Theatre, aiming to perpetuate performing arts culture and ensure sustainable development. The 5500-ping (approx. 1.8 hectares) park features four main themed venues: a drama hall, a dance hall, a literature hall, and an exhibition hall, offering diverse spaces for performances and activities. An international arts festival will also be held annually from July to September, bringing together contemporary performing arts, parent-child interaction, and lifestyle aesthetics experiences. It is a popular attraction for art and culture enthusiasts and local residents, and a new cultural highlight in New Taipei's Xinban Special District. The Banqiao Broadcasting Station will become the first case of a private cultural and artistic group operating a historic site under an OT (Operate-Transfer) project in New Taipei City, aiming to create a cultural heritage and innovation base for professional arts and performance venues.