Chiayi City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau

The Chiayi City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau, the driving force behind cultural promotion in Chiayi City, was formerly the Municipal Cultural Center, which officially opened on February 27, 1993. The Shixian Library, located in the West District, was built using urban land readjustment funds and serves as the Cultural Center's West District branch. The Cultural Center currently consists of three buildings—a museum, a library, and a music hall—along with beautiful and exquisite gardens, occupying an area of over 5,000 ping in total. The museum's basement houses the Chiayi City Koji Pottery Museum, while the first to fourth floors feature various exhibition rooms. The library is equipped with reading rooms, an audio-visual room, and book stacks. The music hall has dedicated seating for 1,113 people, and its stage curtain features "Lotus Pond," an artwork by national oil painting master Lin Yu-shan, hand-woven from silk. The pond north of the music hall, known as "Fir Pond," was used for soaking and storing timber during the Japanese occupation era in conjunction with the Alishan Forest Railway. At that time, trees planted around the pond provided dense shade, creating a tranquil setting for fishing beneath them. "Fishing in the Hinoki Marsh" was once one of the Eight Sights of Zhuluo.