The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) Culture Center will provide the Taiwanese/Chinese-American community in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with community and cultural activities, and Americans with an opportunity to learn more about Taiwan's culture, Taiwan's chief representative in the United States, C. J. (Chien-Jen) Chen, said during the TECRO Culture Center groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 29.
The four-acre site of the future TECRO Culture Center is located at 901 Wind River Lane in Gaithersburg, Md. The facility will include an auditorium, conference rooms, classrooms, a library, and offices. The center is scheduled for completion at the end of this year.
Representative Chen recalled that, as a student in England, he viewed a BBC documentary about the construction of a French cathedral. The cathedral took more than 200 years to build, so the first generations of architects and builders who worked on the cathedral were unable to see its completion. Though the TECRO Culture Center's construction will not take two centuries, the Representative said the construction of the cultural center has also entailed the continuous and joint effort of many people.
Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz, who was among the 300 guests attending the groundbreaking ceremony, announced that Feb. 29 will become Gaithersburg's Taiwan Culture Center Day.
Other distinguished guests included Minister Chang Fu-mei of Taiwan government's Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (OCAC), Chairman Therese Shaheen of the American Institute in Taiwan, Chairwoman Wong Yen-I of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D.C., and OCAC Commissioner Tsai Wu-nan among others.
