The National Museum of Taiwan History (NMTH) Tainan, southern Taiwan, which had been under renovation for two years, reopened on Jan. 7. Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te, Director of National Palace Museum Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) and former NMTH directors attended the reopening ceremony.
Addressing the ceremony, Culture Minister Lee expressed that NMTH has showcased its immense research and curatorial capabilities through the efforts of NMTH directors and staffs to display the spirit and livelihood of each historical period in Taiwan. He added that NMTH highlights the collective memory of Taiwanese people and the people-friendly environment provides the public an opportunity to discuss, revisit and reflect on the past and future.
The Ministry of Culture will continue to pursue to upgrade the status of NMTH, from a fourth-tier ministry-affiliated organization to a "3rd-tier" organization, in hopes of strengthening its capacities in leading the public to deepen the understanding of Taiwan’s history and to strive for a better future.
The exhibition area reopened to the public has more than 1000 pieces of items on display, and the setting reflects characteristics of different historical periods.
The entrance is decorated with an art piece by indigenous Amis artist Ruby Swana (魯碧·司瓦那), which reflects the way to translate indigenous mythic imageries in art forms.
Close to the exit of the exhibition stands a tall wall with images of artifacts. The museum has applied lighting, film projection and interactive media technologies to create an interesting and nostalgic atmosphere and to convey the "museum for the masses" concept.
NMTH indicated that the permanent exhibition, "Our Land, Our People: The Story of Taiwan (斯土斯民：臺灣的故事)," which seeks to signify individual life experience in a big epoch, seeks to stir up collective sentiment. Multiple modern technologies have been applied to convert historical records. The exhibition allows audience participation and interactivity and is suitable for different age groups.
The museum is presenting four special exhibitions, including "Islands In Between Thousand Faces of Taiwan(離人·離島：臺灣離島的多重變貌)," "Contemporary Housing and Society in Taiwan(國·民·住·宅：臺灣當代住宅與社會特展)," "This is Us: 2020 Exhibition of Donated Collection Items (這就是我們：2020館藏捐贈特展)," and "The Precious Boat on Shallow Waters: The Biographical History of Tshiu-the-a(內海仔的船家寶—館藏單桅手撐船的生命史展)." A VR exhibition titled "VR History Recreated: Taiwan Perspective, Taiwan Worldview(VR再現製造所)" is also available.