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NCKU Museum’s “Main Library Design Drawings” Designated as Cultural Heritage of Tainan City
The National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Museum has received exciting news for its collections. The set of 55 design drawings for the Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library officially received designation as cultural heritage by the Tainan City Government on January 27, 2026. This marks the second collection in the museum to gain legal cultural heritage status, following the “Official Ceremonial Robe of President Michitaka Wakatsuki,” underscoring its high historical value and significance for architectural research.
A Snapshot of International Collaboration: Modernist Architecture During U.S. Aid
The drawings depict the original Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library (now registered as a historic building in Tainan), completed in 1959. The library stands as a landmark of modernist architecture during Taiwan’s U.S. aid period. The drawings reveal the collaborative design process between consultant professors from Purdue University, USA, and NCKU’s architecture faculty and students.
Key figures from NCKU’s Architecture Department at the time included Professors Ji-Chang Wang (王濟昌), Mei-Hsing Wu (吳梅興), and Yong-Hsi Hsieh (謝永溪), while the signature section bears that of Prof. W. I. Freel from Purdue University. Most drawing titles are bilingual (Chinese and English), vividly reflecting the cross-cultural technical collaboration and academic exchange of the 1950s “Purdue-Aid” era.
Fine Details Witness the Era: 55 Hand-Drawn Plans Reveal Modernist Aesthetics
These 55 hand-drawn sheets are more than engineering documents—they are a snapshot of contemporary architectural thinking. The drawings meticulously document modernist approaches to structural and design details, including:
A Snapshot of International Collaboration: Modernist Architecture During U.S. Aid
The drawings depict the original Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library (now registered as a historic building in Tainan), completed in 1959. The library stands as a landmark of modernist architecture during Taiwan’s U.S. aid period. The drawings reveal the collaborative design process between consultant professors from Purdue University, USA, and NCKU’s architecture faculty and students.
Key figures from NCKU’s Architecture Department at the time included Professors Ji-Chang Wang (王濟昌), Mei-Hsing Wu (吳梅興), and Yong-Hsi Hsieh (謝永溪), while the signature section bears that of Prof. W. I. Freel from Purdue University. Most drawing titles are bilingual (Chinese and English), vividly reflecting the cross-cultural technical collaboration and academic exchange of the 1950s “Purdue-Aid” era.
Fine Details Witness the Era: 55 Hand-Drawn Plans Reveal Modernist Aesthetics
These 55 hand-drawn sheets are more than engineering documents—they are a snapshot of contemporary architectural thinking. The drawings meticulously document modernist approaches to structural and design details, including:
1. Structural Innovation: Special hollow brick floor slabs.
2. Climate Response: Large horizontal windows on the north-south axis and vertical sunshades on the east-west axis.
3. Refined Details: Interior furniture, rainwater pipe connections, and terrazzo drip edges.
These drawings not only preserve the original design intent but also form an indelible chapter in the history of higher education architecture in Taiwan.
Professional Archiving and Social Responsibility: Advancing Cultural Heritage Preservation
The NCKU Museum noted that the drawings were generously donated by Emeritus Professor Chao-Ching Fu (傅朝卿) of the Architecture Department in 2016. Since its establishment in 2007 as Taiwan’s first university museum with a first-level administrative structure, the NCKU Museum has been dedicated to collecting and researching university history and Taiwan’s important cultural artifacts.
With the support of the National Museum of Taiwan History, this collection has been digitized in high quality and made publicly accessible through the museum’s database. Moving forward, the NCKU Museum will continue to leverage its professional expertise and public role to preserve Taiwan’s cultural heritage and promote architectural heritage education, fulfilling its important social responsibility.
Registration Number 2016-004-0001-003 – “North-South Elevation Drawing” from the Set of Design Drawings for the Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library New Construction
In the lower-right corner of the original Main Library drawings, the signature section shows the stamps of Prof. W. I. Freel, a Purdue University consultant during the U.S. aid period, and Prof. Mei-Hsing Wu of NCKU’s Architecture Department, along with the seal of Wan-Jung Chen Architectural Office.
“Aluminum Bookshelves and Vertical Sunshades” from the Set of Design Drawings for the Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library New Construction – detailed drawings of the bookshelves in the original Main Library and the vertical sunshades on the west side.
“Detailed Staircase Drawing” from the Set of Design Drawings for the Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library New Construction – a representative detailed drawing of the staircase structure in the original Main Library.
The Future Hall of NCKU, referring to the original Taiwan Provincial Cheng Kung University Main Library depicted in the museum’s collection of design drawings for the library’s new construction (now registered as a historic building in Tainan).
