Chiayi City Humanity Association－Chen Shi-han

（Chen Shi-han）
（picture source：photo by this team）

　　On the day for an interview, when the sun had just risen over the treetops, we rode our bikes and gathered in front of the Mcdonald's on Chuei-yang Road. Then we headed for the destination where we had an interview . It was hard for us to find the office because we had to go along a narrow winding trail and then took a torn to get there. It was an old Japanese building with couples of motorcycles parked at random and several plants in front of it.

（During the interview）
（picture source：photo by this team）

　　When entering the office, we saw a middle-aged man in a dark plaided shirt concentrating on putting the things on his desk in order. Behind him were quite a few wooden bookcases with plenty of orderly information lying in it. When he heard our footsteps, he raised his head, held up his glasses and smiled at us bashfully. He was the main character we interviewed that day and also our graduated schoolfellow, Mr. Shih-an Chen.

　　Mr. Chen not only answered our questions in detail but also gave us the satisfying answers patiently and smilingly. For example, when we hoped to know where the five defense installations of the Old Chiayi Prison were, he pointed to the right places on the map. Not only did he give us many reference books and some suggestions, but also he told us what sources we could use. He even talked about all the activities they held before and jokingly said that the prison administrators stayed in the jail much longer that the criminals sentenced to life imprisonment.

（We took pictures with Mr. Chen.）
（picture source：photo by this team）

　　Mr. Shih-an Chen is the chairperson of Chiayi City Humanity Association. It's a part-time job. Actually he's a lecturer teaching at the Landscape Department in Nanhua University. Because he majored in architecture and had much interest in it, he joined the association at the end of the year 2001. In that year, he held a project for preserving the cultural assets in Chiayi City. All the citizens in Chiayi City could take part in the project. If more than 30 persons joined it, the association could be founded after submitting the legal application to the council. Its final goal is to preserve the cultural assets in Chiayi City, including the old historic buildings and the precious customs and festivals here.

（During the interview）
（picture source：photo by this team）

　　Nowadays, the Old Chiayi Prison becomes the Branch Prison. All the prisoners here are moved to Lucao Prison. The estate of the Old Chiayi Prison belongs to The Ministry of Justice. Mr. Shih-an Chen mentioned that Chiayi City Government originally planned to demolish all the building there and would send it to Chiayi University for building a national conference hall or an aboriginal square. However, how can we tear down the national treasure for its being old. In order to preserve it, Mr. Chen and members of Chiayi City Humanity Association held an program, called " The Spring of the Old Chiayi Prison," including a series of activities for two months from March16 to May 18 in 2002. About ten thousand people joined this program. Director Hsiao-hsien Hou who had made some frames for his movie, The Time to Live and the Time to Die" also supported it. Due to the efforts those people made, the Old Chiayi Prison turned into the historic monument of Chiayi City. It became our national historic monument soon after. Now Chiayi City Government makes effors to build a prison historical museum, advertised by the association via education, media, publication and study groups.

（During the interview）
（picture source：photo by this team）

　　The association tries hard to preserve not only the Old Chiayi Prison but also Chiayi East Market, Chiayi City Park, Chiayi Wood Production Mill, Chiayi Distillery…etc. We really appreciate those who help preserve these historic monuments and Mr. Chen, who preserves the Old Chiayi Prison, so that we can have a chance to do this research on it.