TED, a global creative forum championing the motto of "ideas worth spreading," had selected Taipei as one of the five cities to hold the "TEDxWeekend 2019" program to celebrate its 10th anniversary. To showcase the cultural and historic heritage of Taiwan, the National Taiwan Museum (NTM) jointly organized a walking tour for TED guests on Nov. 2.
Recruiting the students of Taipei First Girls' High School (臺北市立第一女子高級中學), the "Ambassadors for Cultural Experience (文化體驗服務大使)" program by NTM is aimed at welcoming international travelers. Their first undertaking was leading more than 200 TED members from several Asian countries through an immersive walking tour. Under the guidance of foreign-language guides trained by NTM, the high schoolers led TED members from the museum into the heart of the nation's capital to learn about the history and culture of Taipei from the ground.
The National Taiwan Museum remarked it was a great honor to be appointed by the Ministry of Culture as the reception ambassador for TEDxWeekendTaipei. In addition to showcasing the spirit and energy of the museum's foreign-language guides, the museum itself is also one of the best mediums to display the past and contemporary history of Taiwan. The museum aims to inspire the younger generations' interest in Taiwanese cultural participation and also network with members of the world's most popular community forum.
The walking tour was divided into four groups, starting out from the oldest museum in Taiwan — the National Taiwan Museum — to the Beimen area, then to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Land Bank Exhibition Hall. Along the way, the tour also visited Taipei 228 Peace Park, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei Guest House, Presidential Office Building, and Taipei First Girls High School's Guang-fu Building to complete the cultural immersive experience.
More information on the NTM's multilingual tours is available here.