Taiwan's history without the fineries

Anti-KMT sentiment is also pretty rife. The section devoted to Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) arrival in Taiwan is in fact located adjacent to the museum's toilet. A place that Hong feels is an apt locale for the photos and other Chiang paraphernalia.

"I'm trying to tell the story of Taiwan as it was. While the rulers enjoyed glitzy lifestyles, the vast number of the general population lived in fear of the security forces and in pretty bad conditions," Hong explains. "National museums don't do this. If we were to rely on and believe the history they told us we'd be in serious trouble. And, as a history teacher, I have no intention of letting this happen."

The Sweet Potato Nation Taiwan Historical Documents Museum (蕃薯國台灣歷史文獻展覽館) is located at 91 Yungkang Street, Taipei (台北市永康街91號) and is open between 2:30pm and 6pm Monday through Saturday and on Sundays from 10:30am until 6pm. Admission is free. There are no English-language materials available at the museum.