Founded in 1908, the National Taiwan Museum showcases modern understandings of Taiwan, with curators presenting a modern collection of artifacts and samples relating to Taiwan’s anthropology, geography, flora, and fauna. Of particular note are the collection of over 7,000 Aboriginal cultural artifacts and a “family” of Formosan clouded leopards. This collection also marked the start of the systematic collection, study, and display of things Taiwanese.
As Taiwan’s oldest museum, it is also home to a collection of items from crucial periods in the island’s history, including three particularly prized pieces: a portrait of Koxinga, a map of Taiwan under the reign of Emperor Kangxi, and the flag of the short-lived Republic of Formosa. “This museum was Taiwan’s first and, for some time, only one, so a number of precious items were sent here,” says NTM director Chen Chi-min. Such items include the pen used to sign the Sino–American Mutual Defense Treaty, and a recording of a speech by Sun Yat-sen. “The NTM collection is the most representative of the people, events, and artifacts of Taiwan’s history, so it’s a must-visit for anyone who wants to understand the history, culture, and environment of our island.”
A museum of natural history
As Taiwan’s first natural history museum, the National Taiwan Museum has always specialized in combining natural history with environmental education. At the Nanmen Park branch, there are even a special exhibit on conservation and an educational garden. Local elementary-school classes are invited to give the children experience with gardening, letting them see for themselves how the food they eat is grown and learning lessons that sow the seeds of a conservation mindset early. The NTM also works with the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation to hold an organic food market, with local small farmers invited to showcase their wares. Whether through exhibitions, markets, or education, the NTM is working hard to uphold its responsibility to the community and environment.
The museum is also active in international organizations. In 2015, it was authorized to host the annual meeting of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural History, in which the NTM’s commitment to promoting biodiversity was highlighted through the proclamation of the Taipei Declaration on Natural History Museums and Biodiversity Conservation.
A capital culture park
Between 1908 and 2016, the National Taiwan Museum collection grew to over 115,000 items, and after a few decades space became an issue. Additionally, since the 1980s museums of all varieties and all sizes have sprung up across Taiwan, meaning the NTM was faced with a need to transform and stay competitive.
The museum building itself being a kind of exhibit, “The NTM worked across departments and agencies to get the building repaired and to make it the heart of a movement to link together historical spaces both inside and outside Old Taipei City,” says NTM researcher Lin Yi-hung. And so the NTM began looking for similar historic spaces lying idle around the city.
First came the building that formerly was home to the Land Bank of Taiwan. This structure boasts one of the largest and most completely preserved interior spaces of any historic site on the island. Making use of the soaring roof space, the curators installed several massive model dinosaur fossils to create an exhibition on ancient animals and the evolution of life. According to director Chen, the overnight “Sleeping with Dinosaurs” activities hosted by the Land Bank branch of the museum have become some of the NTM’s most popular.
The museum’s Nanmen Park branch, meanwhile, began life in 1899 as a camphor processing plant. Previously owned by the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau, the land rights were later transferred to make it part of the NTM after the bureau’s privatization. Given its background, it was decided that the branch would serve as a museum of Taiwan’s industrial history.
The biggest, most complex restoration involved the old Japanese Railway Department building located by Taipei’s North Gate at No. 1, Yanping North Road. Commissioned as an arsenal in 1887, after the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1895 it was put to use by the Railway Department. In 1919, the building took its modern form, built from brick and wood in a mock Tudor style. The railway was a product of the industrial revolution and an important indicator of a city’s modernization, and so as part of the NTM, once renovations are complete the old Railway Department building will serve as a museum of the modern era.
A modern dreamland
The National Taiwan Museum’s reuse and refurbishing of historic buildings is injecting them with new life and enabling them to be remembered anew. However, the museum’s home, Taipei City, has undergone many dramatic changes over the decades, and people’s memories of the city change with it, with memories of the old city fading into the past. This is why the museum is making the most of the centennial of its main building by putting on an exhibition entitled “Musemble City: An Experiencing Project for Modernity.” Starting at the small scale with the NTM and moving up to the larger picture of the whole city, the exhibition links together 45 points of memory and interest across the city, thus creating a better overall understanding of Taipei and its development.
This special exhibition is divided across two main exhibition halls, “Maze” and “Mirage.” In the eastern wing, “Mirage,” an “image tunnel” has been set up, displaying recordings of memories of Taipei City; in the western wing, “Maze,” pieces of Taipei’s history and landmarks are on display, recording Taipei’s evolution through six topics: “Utopia,” “High Street,” “Urban Nomad,” “Knowledge and Disenchantment,” “Symbols of Authority,” and “Industrial Production.”
One of the curators, researcher Lin Yi-hung, talks enthusiastically about modernization and the developmental history of Taipei, tying it in with the exhibits of 45 of the city’s historical landmarks. The walled city of Taipei was founded in 1884, and after the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1895, Taipei began its process of modernization. The Japanese had utopian plans for Taipei City, and began setting up all kinds of infrastructure. Originally they had planned to preserve the city walls. However, sometimes things don’t go to plan, and in the construction of the Railway Department building they first tore down the western wall and gate to create tree-lined three-lane roads, changing the face of the city forever.
The 45 landmarks showcased in the exhibition all had their own roles and significance in Taipei’s development, and the exhibition enables visitors to explore in detail to really get a sense of how the city evolved into what it is today. The team of curators also designed a smartphone app with which users can “check in” at each of the 45 sites, thus creating a kind of collective memory of Taipei among the users while also bringing together a century of Taipei history.
The National Taiwan Museum, this centagenarian site in the heart of Taipei, is gradually changing. From collecting images of empire to becoming a storehouse of knowledge about modern Taiwan, the museum has been a witness to history. Today, as the gateway to 228 Memorial Park, it welcomes immigrants and new arrivals of all stripes, while elsewhere it is breathing new life into old buildings. Spanning Old Taipei, the NTM continues to tell Taiwan’s stories, record her history, and serve as a museum truly for and about the people.
Museum director Chen Chi-min wants the National Taiwan Museum to become a place for both Taiwanese and international visitors alike to better understand Taiwan and her people.
Dedicated to the application of natural history to environmental education, the Nanmen Park branch has made a reputation for itself with its agricultural education project and farmers’ market. (courtesy of the NTM)
Dedicated to the application of natural history to environmental education, the Nanmen Park branch has made a reputation for itself with its agricultural education project and farmers’ market. (courtesy of the NTM)
The National Taiwan Museum has been involved in reviving several idle historic buildings in Taipei City, including transforming the old Land Bank building into a natural history exhibition space. (photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
The Land Bank Exhibition Hall boasts soaring ceilings, making it a great place to display several replica dinosaurs to introduce visitors to prehistoric creatures and the evolution of life.
Lin Yi-hung, curator of the special exhibition “Musemble City: An Experiencing Project for Modernity,” explains some of the history of Old Taipei.
This “image tunnel” presents a record of stories from the ordinary citizens of Taipei.
The Futai Street Mansion has an unusual connection with the NTM: it once served as the head office of Takaishi Gumi, one of the construction companies contracted to build the museum.
The former Taipei City Hall (now Zhongshan Hall), once a hub of citizen activity, is an example of modernist eclecticism.
Old Taipei was a traditional walled city, but all that still stands to remind us of the walls today is four of the city gates. This picture shows Taipei’s North Gate, which sits at the intersection of Bo’ai Road, Yanping North Road, and Zhongxiao West Road. The Zhongxiao Bridge ramp just behind the gate is soon to be demolished, which will give the site another new look.
The old Railway Department building, currently under renovation, is set to be revived as a “museum of the modern era.”
