Redefining a museum's purpose

The National Taiwan Museum (國立台灣博物館) has recently once again exhibited the so-called treasure of the city -- the Yellow Tiger Flag of Democratic Taiwan (台灣民主國黃虎旗) -- and other relics from recent Taiwan history, something that will surely rekindle discussions about the status and function of the museum. In its heyday it was popular, but times have changed. With the establishment of many modern museums, this 100-year-old museum, the oldest in Taiwan, will be hard put not to become a relic itself unless it clarifies its function and status.

When the National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館) arranged the Terracotta Warrior exhibition, for example, the National Taiwan Museum had to post information at its main entrance to redirect the many people who had arrived at the wrong museum. The same scenario has occurred many times over the years.

How does one distinguish between natural history and the history of civilization ? This is an issue crucial for the development and future existence of the National Taiwan Museum.

The earliest incarnation of the museum, the "Affiliated Museum of the Business Property Bureau of the Civil Affairs Department under the Office of the Taiwan Governor" (台灣總監府民政部殖產局附屬博物館), was established in 1908. It was located where the Po-ai Building is today, on Po-ai Road behind the Presidential Office. With departments of zoology, botany, minerals and history, it already resembled a natural history museum.

Then, in 1915, it moved to its present location inside the 228 Park and its name was changed to "Affiliated Museum of the Taiwan Governor's Office -- The Kodama-Goto Memorial Hall' (台灣總督府附屬博物館 兒玉後騰紀念館).

In 1917, many of the industry-related specimens stored there were moved to another location [the Commodity Exhibition Hall of the Governor's Office (總督商品陳列館)], the first time any of the museum's specimens had been removed and defining its status as an orthodox natural history museum. In 2000, the Council for Cultural Affairs (行政院文化建設委員會) and the Ministry of Education agreed to confirm the National Taiwan Museum as a museum of natural history.

However, since the museum is concerned with zoology, botany, earth sciences, anthropology and education, it is similar to the National Museum of Natural Sciences (國立自然科學博物館). As part of an attempt to combine the two, the National Taiwan Museum will be put under the auspices of the Ministry of Education next year. Once this has happened, the museum could end up being taken over by the National Museum of Natural Sciences.

Even though the National Taiwan Museum has been in operation for the better part of a century, it has never been able to incorporate the words "natural history" into its name, ie to have a name that reflects its functions.

During the Japanese occupation, one aim of the colonial regime was to control public opinion and to treat the culture of Taiwan as an alien culture, leading to the museum's anthropological focus on aboriginal culture (including Taiwan, southern China and Southeast Asia) and the collection and study of the Han culture in Taiwan, instead of on archeological and biological anthropology generally, which is the usual focus of natural history museums. This is the basis for the chaos at the museum after Japan's colonial rule ended.

After Taiwan was handed over to the KMT government in China, the scope of the anthropological department was defined as "handling research, collection, study and storage of items related to anthropology and history." Not until 1994 was the word "history" struck from the museum's regulations regarding anthropology. The change, in fact, did not make much difference. The museum has always operated as a general museum.