Anne Shih (施劉秀枝)
Anne Shih (施劉秀枝) is a Taiwanese American arts leader and community volunteer. She has served as Board Chairwoman of the Bowers Museum (寶爾博物館) since 2010, and was re-elected through 2018. She was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 2017.
Identity Snapshot
- English: Anne Shih
- Chinese: 施劉秀枝
- Born: 1946, Minxiong Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan
- Immigrated to US: 1978 with husband 施隆盛 and two children
- Residences: New Jersey (1978), Huntington Beach (1980)
- Role: Board Chairwoman, Bowers Museum (2010–2018)
- Geography: Orange County, California
- Husband: 施隆盛 (Shi Longsheng), family ran 嘉益汽水廠 (Jiayi Soda Factory) in Chiayi
Early Life in Taiwan
Anne Shih was born in 1946 in Minxiong Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. Her family ran a cloth and tailor shop. Her father was often away on business trips, teaching her how to interact and speak with people. Every year before Chinese New Year, her mother would send her out to collect debts from customers — a common practice since rural residents saved money by buying fabric, having it tailored, and sometimes paying later.
Her older siblings all studied hard, went to good schools (嘉中, 嘉女), and entered university. Anne only attended 大林中學 for middle school, then passed the exam for 銘傳商專 (Ming Chuan Commercial College).
Immigration to the US
In 1978, Anne married 施隆盛 (Shi Longsheng) and immigrated to the United States with two children. They first lived in New Jersey, then moved to Huntington Beach in 1980. After the children became independent, Anne began volunteering at the Bowers Museum in 1992.
The Soda Factory Anecdote
Anne’s husband’s family ran the 嘉益汽水廠 (Jiayi Soda Factory) in Chiayi. A memorable story from her youth involves a college student named 施隆盛 who delivered a dozen bottles of lemonade to her home. He specifically requested that the empty bottles be returned — not because he was cheap, but because the bottles themselves were valuable. When he really did come to collect the bottles a few days later, he explained: “My family runs a soda factory in Chiayi. The soda isn’t valuable, but the bottles are.”
Bowers Museum
Volunteer and Board Service
Anne began volunteering at the Bowers Museum (寶爾博物館) in 1992. She joined the museum board in 1996 and created the Junior Ambassador program, introducing high school students to art and culture.
In 2005, she was elected Vice Chairwoman. In 2009, she was selected as the museum’s outstanding alumna (銘傳大學). In 2010, she was elected Board Chairwoman and re-elected through terms into 2016–2018.
Major Exhibitions
Anne Shih was credited with initiating many rare exhibitions from Taiwan, Tibet, and China. Notable exhibitions include:
- Ancient Egyptian animal mummies
- Silk Road exhibitions
- Tibet exhibitions
- Beijing Palace Museum loans
- Terracotta warriors (秦朝兵馬俑)
- Qing dynasty jade collections (from 鴻禧美術館)
Peter Keller, the museum’s director since 1991, specialized in gems. In 1991, he wanted to hold a world-class jade exhibition and made two trips to Taiwan empty-handed. He met the still-shy volunteer Anne inside the museum and jokingly asked her to help organize a jade exhibition. To Anne’s surprise, she went to Taipei and successfully borrowed a series of fine Qing dynasty jade pieces from private collectors (鴻禧美術館).
Museum Operations
The Bowers Museum has an annual budget of ~$4.5 million. The Santa Ana city government provides $1.5 million, ticket revenue is ~$750,000, and the rest must be raised by board members through networking and annual fundraising banquets.
Asian/Chinese visitors make up only 5% of the museum’s visitors. The James-Irvine Foundation donated $1.2 million to promote multiculturalism, with one program being to train Chinese-speaking docents. Anne hopes more Chinese Americans will join the volunteer lineup.
The museum’s security staff is divided into three shifts, totaling 65 people. The museum hallways can be rented for events, and artists are invited annually to create works that are submitted to charity auctions.
Over 20 years, the museum has hosted 58 special exhibitions, only 8 of which were China-related. But every time, Anne found a way to raise $1-2 million to prepare them.
Personal Life
Anne is nearly 70 years old at the time of the profile, and shows no signs of fatigue. She is a breast cancer survivor and康复 (rehabilitation) warrior. She loves cooking and is confident in her skills, preparing dinner for her husband every day after 5 PM.
Awards and Recognition
- Ellis Island Medal of Honor (May 2017)
- Over 10 major awards for her service
- One award was named after her: the “Anne Shih Service Award”
- 銘傳大學 outstanding alumna (2009)
- Board chair since 2010, re-elected through 2018
Source Notes and Confidence
- Content priority A: 2017 TAHS Publication (profile Part 1, ~96 lines), interview by |鄭炳全, photography by |黃樹人
- Content priority A: Contains detailed biographical narrative including early life in Taiwan, immigration, Bowers Museum service, major exhibitions, and personal life
- Hub: |2017 TAHS Publication
- Note: The full text includes detailed biographical information including family background, immigration story, and museum leadership.