Each of the 23 million people in Taiwan has his or her own story to tell — each citizen plays a leading role in the never-ending story of Taiwan. Thus, the Ministry of Culture has launched the “National Memory Database” project to collect such personal stories and to preserve the precious memories of the general public.
To facilitate public participation, the Ministry has worked with local community centers, regional cultural affairs bureaus, and private cultural and historical project studios to install more than 50 story-recording stations around Taiwan, the two outlying islands of Penghu and Matsu included. Immobile citizens and residents in remote areas can also request home visits by volunteers or have their stories recorded through the Ministry’s mobile stations. They can even record stories on their personal computers and upload the files to the project’s cloud database.
The data stored online can be shared with the whole world and each storyteller can choose a preferred method of copyright licensing. The Ministry hereby encourages the younger generations to bring their family elders to the stations and record the most cherished memories in their lives. The general public is also welcome to visit the project’s website and hear these stories from their makers themselves.