The Hai'an Road landscaping project and Street Museum of Art + were finally opened to the public on the evening of August 18. Long planned by the Bureau of Urban Development and widely anticipated by the residents, the opening ceremony attracted large crowds despite the light rain. Many people chose to stay and watch the performances. Mayor Li Men-yen said that Hai'an Road is now a very popular check-in spot on social media, and every public installation artwork is worth experiencing. He later took an arranged car tour given by the curating organization to learn more about each piece.
Mayor Li pointed out that the transformation of Hai'an Road is significant in many ways. Now a bustling area, Hai'an Road was often criticized as one of the top ten idle spaces in Tainan (ranking second on the list) in the past. However, after the underground parking garage was completed, it spurred on the development of Zhengxing Street and Guohua Street.
Hai'an Road is also an example turning the unkempt place into one that is neat and pleasing. The construction of the underground parking garage included some unsightly ventilation towers on the road surface. But after covering them with installation art, Hai'an Road has become one of the city highlights and stimulated the growth of the neighboring shopping district. More importantly, the Hai'an Road project ran into many problems during the process, including construction delays and arguments between construction parties, but now it is finally completed and welcoming large crowds of visitors.
Li also mentioned that Zhongzheng Road is part of the Street Museum of Art + project plan as well. In the future, it will spur on the revival of West Central District and return the district to its former heyday. Construction and Planning Agency (CPAMI) Director-general Wu Hsin-hsou also announced that Zhongzheng Road and Hai'an Road are no longer decrepit city streets. The area, which was once Tainan’s city center during the Japanese Occupation Period, will become as prosperous and busy as it was before.
The performance arranged by the curating organization included two major themes: “The Sound of the City” and “City Catwalk”. A capella group "The Wanted" opened the show, immersing the audience in their beautiful voices. Then Catwalk Production House models wearing garments from HĀUSENN and Scarecrow Contemporary Dance Company jointly presented an impressive performance that turned the ordinary city streets into a catwalk.
In addition, the Bureau of Urban Development arranged over twenty guided city tours and three city forums. Although spots for the Zhongzheng Road and Hai'an Road tours have already filled up, the Bureau of Urban Development reminded the public that every artwork has a QRcode on their description plates. Visitors can scan the QRcode and listen to the creation concepts in the artists’ own words.