The National Museum of History will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this Sunday, with a series of special events, activities and gallery openings that reflect the half-century of its own history.
In keeping with its mission of initiating the public in Sinology, two exhibition halls will be given over to a display of "treasures from the central plain of ancient China." And given its more recent emphasis on localization, a separate exhibit titled The Beauty of Classical Taiwanese Furniture will also open for an indefinite period.
The history museum has assembled over 100 pieces of "classical" Taiwanese furniture, including an altar, "official's hat" armchairs, baroque-styled dressers, a red-canopied bed intricately carved with auspicious symbols, a colorful money cabinet symbolizing good fortune, and even a collection of wooden cabinets once used to peddle a variety of drinks and goods at local markets.
The items are displayed in a reconstructed living room, study, bedroom and kitchen, making for a nostalgic trip from the Qing Dynasty to the Japanese period.
The exhibition of local furniture is notable in that, when the museum was established in December of 1955, its small collection consisted largely of artifacts from the central plains of China. The nation's history museum contained hardly any artifacts related to the land on which it sat, save a few items "returned" by Japan after the end of the war. This made it the butt of many jokes because, rather than house readily available artifacts of Taiwanese history, the museum's original curators chose to display cheap replicas of Chinese artifacts, the originals of which they hadn't yet acquired.
"The museum is often accused of putting an emphasis on Chinese culture at the expense of Taiwan's own cultural treasures," said the museum's acting director, Tseng Deh-gin (曾德錦).
They're making up for it now. At a press conference on Wednesday, Tseng and other museum officials ceremonially uncrated a handful of artifacts from central China to be perched in the empty display cases, then rushed reporters to the next gallery, which has been renovated to look like the interior of a traditional Taiwanese home.
"We're particularly proud of the collection of Taiwanese furniture," Tseng said. It's an impressive exhibit, indeed. Even the floor of the museum has been ripped up and covered with the red terra cotta tiles found in Taiwan's oldest homes. The entire hall smells of the camphor wood of the dozens of priceless pieces on display.
It's not an exhibit for everyone, but is a must-see for anyone with an interest in antique "Chinese" furniture.
While the curators have overlooked some of the details, they've gotten the major points right. They have filled a hardwood cupboard, for instance, with the same dishes, cups and bowls that were manufactured in Yingge Township over half a century ago, but have neglected to place the cupboard on the water-filled dish casters that prevented ants from climbing the legs. (Those antique dishes, by the way, can still be found gathering dust at the backs of shelves in Yingge's several ceramics shops and can be bought for a song.)
More attention to detail would have made this otherwise impressive exhibit truly a "nostalgic trip" back in time. But at least the history museum has started looking in the right direction.
Schedule of events:
10am to 6:30pm: Celebration festival at museum plaza
6pm to 10pm: Official exhibit opening
7:30pm to 8:30pm: Duet for mandolin and harp, storytelling with drum and tea time at the moon/Botanical Gardens
The National Museum of History is located at 49, Nanhai Rd, Taipei (
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had