Taipei Travel

The unveiling ceremony of the restored bronze bust of William Burton took place at the Taipei Water Museum on March 30. The date of the ceremony coincides with the date of the inauguration of the original sculpture back in 1919.

Mayor Ko Wen-je presided over the ceremony and former Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan delivered the opening remarks. The restored bust is the work of sculptor Pu Hao-ming. Dignitaries attending the ceremony include Representative Izumi Hiroyasu of Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei Office and British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis.

The ceremony was also livestreamed to viewers at the second event venue in Japan.

Taipei Water Department pointed out that Burton is an engineer whose works had a tremendous impact upon the development of water systems in both Japan and Taiwan. For the ceremony in Taipei, the Japan Association of Drainage and Environment (JADE) also donated two commemorative chairs and a fern pine to Taipei Water Park.

At the venue in Japan, Representative Frank Hsieh of the Association of Taiwan-Japan Relations – on behalf of Taipei City Government – presented miniature busts of Burton to his great-great-grandson Kevin Kmetz, JADE Chairman Inaba Kikuo, and Taiwan Friendship Exchange Association Chairman Kurosu Ryuichi. Congratulatory messages for the occasion were also received from Chairman Keiji Furuya of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko.