The National Taiwan Museum (NTM) will be holding four separate one-hour events titled "Railway Department Park: Explore Hidden Places" at the Railway Department Park on Jan. 30, Jan. 31, Feb. 13, and Feb. 14.
Organized as guided tours, the special events will lead participants to explore the rise and demise of the Railway Department of the General Governor of Taiwan (臺灣總督府鐵道部), which was established during Japanese rule and went through the course of 100 years. The tours will also allow participants to see how contemporary museums, by preserving historical monuments and putting them back to use after extensive research and renovation, have integrated the past, present and future. From observing the exterior and learning the purpose of each building, participants will be able to trace the history of its development and draw the links between the construction and its surrounding environment.
The tour groups will visit the roof truss, balcony of the oval hall and the bomb shelter — areas that are normally closed to the public. Semi-transparent cards, made from old photos of the historical buildings prior to the renovation, will be used as educational materials during the tour. Participants will also be invited to take pictures of contrasting images and witness the exemplary uniqueness of the Railway Department Park as a cultural asset that has undergone preservation.
The guided tours, through the introduction of the area’s historical role, will also help participants understand the progress of modernization of the Taiwanese society in a century.
Beginning at ten in the morning, the tours on Jan. 30 and Feb. 13 consist of route A and will pass through the roof truss, while those on Jan. 31 and Feb. 14 consist of route B and will pass through the bomb shelter.