Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday recommended that Tainan’s National Museum of Taiwan Literature improve the flow through the exhibits to help visitors better understand the Taiwanese history it documents — including historic buildings — allowing their admiration for the nation to grow.
Su made the remarks while browsing exhibits and miniatures of historic buildings with museum director Su Shuo-bin (蘇碩斌) and learning about relic restoration techniques.
Among pieces being restored yesterday was a relic from Yunlin County called the Great Dragon Embroidery Flag, used by the Beigang Flying Dragons din tao (陣頭, performances meant to entertain the gods) troupe.
Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times
The triangular flag, made by the troupe in 1926, measures 7m on its longest side and weighs 31kg. Its size required a restoration artist to lie prone on a prop while working on it, which fascinated visitors.
Su said that when he was a councilor on the now-defunct Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council, the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime prohibited people from speaking Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), including requiring that train stops be announced in Mandarin.
As some train passengers could not understand Mandarin, there was often a rush for the door when passengers realized it was their stop, he added.
Su said he raised the issue with Taiwan Provincial Government officials and that they resumed the Hoklo and Hakka announcements, adding that these events remain vivid memories for him.
Su recommended that the venue’s layout be improved so that people would become familiar with the historic context of the exhibits.
The museum could introduce architecture and literature in an “immersive” manner, allowing visitors to travel back in time, learn the history and develop a stronger passion for Taiwan, he said.
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