When the Langyang Museum in Yilan County placed a life-size model of an old beggar in an exhibition at the opening of the museum five years ago, its concern was whether the statue accurately represented the community of Han people residing in the Lanyang Plains, but it never expected that it would become a source of revenue for local charities.
According to a report by the Chinese-language United Daily News, one of the museum’s exhibitions depicted a community by a river on the Lanyang Plains, complete with reproductions of stores, clerks, visitors and local residents.
On the corner of the street stands the model of a white-haired beggar with an unkempt beard, dressed in patched clothes and barefoot with a yuehchin (月琴) on his back, holding out a hand with a small bowl asking for alms, the report said, adding that the life-like figurine seemed to touch something in visitors’ heart, as they would often put some small change in the bowl.
Photo: CNA
Coins of numerous currencies have been collected, the report said, adding that foreigners visiting the museum have put US dollars, yen, Hong Kong dollars, won and yuan in the bowl.
The bowl has almost never been empty, the report said, adding that the bowl nets the museum at least NT$3,000 to NT$4,000 a month.
The report said the museum had made a total of NT$246,266 in the five years since the exhibition opened in 2010.
While the museum at first deemed the donations troublesome because of the difficulty involved in making use of them, it has since decided to donate all the donations to charities, the report said.
The museum has donated the money to charities such as the Yilan County Social Welfare Fund-raising Foundation and the St Francis Old Folks Home in Toucheng Township (頭城), the report said.
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