While all too many exhibitions relating to China's social, agricultural and scientific developments rely on yellowing pages of drab printed matter and a few lifeless artifacts, The National Museum of Science's (
Divided into six units, the exhibition rooms give visitors an insightful glimpse into Chinese scientific and technological discoveries, early irrigation and farming techniques, religion, medicine, spirituality and the area's indigenous peoples.
The hall's central and most breathtaking unit is that dedicated to science and technology. Here visitors get to view artifacts and -- at the touch of a button -- can listen to commentaries explaining the history of early experiments with gunpowder, the earliest forms of printing and the invention of the compass. While all very interesting, it is the exhibition hall's impressive collection of models that make for the most fascinating viewing.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE
Wooden scaled-down replicas of sand junks show how Chinese shipbuilders employed bulkheads, a model of a 13th century Equatorial Torquetum shows how early astronomers determined the locations of constellations and a reconstruction of a Tang Dynasty (618 to 907) structure lets visitors see how Chinese construction was developed.
Although all the models are remarkable, the most striking is the huge working replica of a water-powered armillary sphere, which was invented during the northern Sung Dynasty (960 to 1127) and used to tell both the time and make astronomical observations. The 12m high true-to-scale fully functional wooden model is an exact copy of one that stood in the imperial palace in 1088.
Moving on from technology and science, the Chinese Medicine hall gives visitors insight into the development of herbal medicine and oriental therapies such as acupuncture. This area includes an informative film, which tells of the therapeutic values of flora, and shows some rather gruesome early healing tools.
The only part of the exhibition that deals in any depth with Taiwan is the Taiwan Aborigines and Austronesian area, where wax dummies bedecked in the traditional costumes of Taiwan's dozen Aboriginal tribes pale in comparison with the Science Hall's other more creative and accurate models.
Possibly the hall's least visited -- but it is still an insightful exhibition space -- is the Agricultural Development section. Well organized and sometimes free of screaming children, the area includes a selection of early farming implements dating back to the eastern Han Dynasty (25 to 220) and a collection of stone inscriptions portraying early farming methods.
While the exhibition is not without its faults (no English-language material is one irritation), a visit to The National Museum of Science's Chinese Hall makes for an interesting hour or so.
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